ירמיהו, פרק מ״ט, פסוק ט׳

The impending downfall of Edom is portrayed as an event of absolute and total devastation. To capture the sheer scale of this ruin, the prophecy draws upon two familiar scenes from everyday life: the gathering of an agricultural harvest and a robbery in the dead of night. This message closely mirrors another vision regarding Edom recorded by the prophet Obadiah. While different prophets may receive the same underlying message, they never deliver it in the exact same style, resulting in slight variations in how the vision is expressed [רש"י, רד"ק].

The warning is framed through rhetorical questions that express deep astonishment at the intensity of the coming destruction [רש"י, מצודת דוד]. The first image focuses on grape gatherers. Typically, when workers harvest a vineyard, they leave behind a few small, scattered, and inferior grapes [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The second image describes thieves operating under the cover of darkness. Ordinarily, burglars steal only what they need and ruin only what is necessary to take their spoils, leaving the rest of the property untouched [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

However, the forces destined to attack Edom will be far more ruthless and thorough. They will strike out in the open like agricultural workers and in secret like thieves in the night, but their actions will completely defy these everyday norms. They will leave no remnants behind, obliterating the nation entirely [מצודת דוד, מלבי"ם]. Furthermore, unlike ordinary thieves whose vision is limited by the dark, preventing them from finding hidden valuables, Edom’s attackers will systematically search, uncover, and destroy absolutely everything without limitation [מלבי"ם].