Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version “If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night— oh, what a disaster awaits you!— would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? New Living Translation “If thieves came at night and robbed you (what a disaster awaits you!), they would not take everything. Those who harvest grapes always leave a few for the poor. But your enemies will wipe you out completely! English Standard Version If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? Berean Standard Bible “If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, how you will be ruined—would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Berean Literal Bible “If thieves had come to you, if plunderers by night—how you have been cut off—would they not have stolen enough for themselves? If grape-gatherers had come to you, would they not have left remaining some gleanings? King James Bible If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? New King James Version “If thieves had come to you, If robbers by night— Oh, how you will be cut off!— Would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, Would they not have left some gleanings? New American Standard Bible “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— Oh how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape-pickers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings? NASB 1995 “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— O how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings? NASB 1977 “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— O how you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleanings? Legacy Standard Bible “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— Oh how you will be ruined!— Would they not thieve only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not allow some gleanings to remain? Amplified Bible “If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— How you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some grapes for gleaning? Berean Annotated Bible “If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, how you will be ruined—would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Christian Standard Bible If thieves came to you, if marauders by night — how ravaged you would be! — wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted? If grape harvesters came to you, wouldn’t they leave a few grapes? Holman Christian Standard Bible If thieves came to you, if marauders by night— how ravaged you would be!— wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some grapes? American Standard Version If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night (how art thou cut off!), would they not steal only till they had enough? if grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? Contemporary English Version If thieves break in at night, they steal only what they want. And people who harvest grapes always leave some unpicked. But, Edom, you are doomed! English Revised Version If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not steal till they had enough? if grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? GOD'S WORD® Translation "If thieves or looters come to you during the night, won't they steal only until they've had enough? You will be ruined! If people come to pick your grapes, won't they leave a few grapes behind? Good News Translation "When thieves come at night, they take only what they want. When people gather grapes, they always leave a few. But your enemies have wiped you out completely. International Standard Version "If thieves came against you, if marauding gangs by night —Oh, how you will be destroyed!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave some grapes to be gleaned? NET Bible "If thieves came to rob you during the night, they would steal only as much as they wanted! If grape pickers came to harvest your vineyards, they would leave some behind for the poor! But you will be totally destroyed! New Heart English Bible "If thieves came to you, if robbers by night--oh, what disaster awaits you--wouldn't they only steal until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn't they leave some gleaning grapes? Webster's Bible Translation If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? Majority Text Translations Majority Standard Bible“If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, how you will be ruined—would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? World English Bible “If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, what disaster awaits you—wouldn’t they only steal until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some gleaning grapes? Literal Translations Literal Standard Version“If thieves have come in to you, "" If spoilers of the night, "" How have you been cut off! Do they not steal their sufficiency? If gatherers have come in to you, "" Do they not leave gleanings? Berean Literal Bible “If thieves had come to you, if plunderers by night—how you have been cut off—would they not have stolen enough for themselves? If grape-gatherers had come to you, would they not have left remaining some gleanings? Young's Literal Translation If thieves have come in to thee, If spoilers of the night, How hast thou been cut off! Do they not steal their sufficiency? If gatherers have come in to thee, Do they not leave gleanings? Smith's Literal Translation If thieves came to thee, if those laying waste by night, (how thou wert destroyed!) will not they steal their sufficiency? If the grape gatherers came to thee will they not leave gleanings? Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleIf thieves had gone in to thee, if robbers by night, how wouldst thou have held thy peace? would they not have stolen till they had enough ? if the grapegatherers had come in to thee, would they not have left thee at the least a cluster? Catholic Public Domain Version If thieves had approached you, if robbers by night, how would you have remained unnoticed? Would they not have stolen all that they wanted? If the grape-pickers had approached you, would they not have left you at least a cluster? New American Bible If thieves came to you, robbers by night —how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal merely till they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? New Revised Standard Version If thieves came to you, if plunderers by night —how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape-gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleIf thieves come to you or robbers by night, how could you have remained silent till they had stolen enough? Or if grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Peshitta Holy Bible Translated If thieves came upon you or robbers in the night, how would you have been silent until they stole their sufficiency, and if grape gatherers came to you, would they not be leaving gleanings? OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night-- How art thou cut off!-- Would they not steal till they had enough? If grape-gatherers came to thee, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes? Brenton Septuagint Translation If thieves came in to thee, or robbers by night, where wouldest thou have been cast away? would they not have stolen just enough for themselves? and if grape-gatherers went in to thee, would they not leave a gleaning? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Destruction of Edom…4Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. 5“If thieves came to you, if robbers by night— oh, how you will be ruined— would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? 6But how Esau will be pillaged, his hidden treasures sought out!… Cross References If thieves came to you, Matthew 24:43-44 But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. / For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect. Luke 12:39-40 But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. / You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” if robbers by night— Job 24:14-16 When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief. / The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face. / In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. oh, how you will be ruined— Jeremiah 49:10 But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his hiding places, and he will be unable to conceal himself. His descendants will be destroyed along with his relatives and neighbors, and he will be no more. Ezekiel 35:3-4 and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Mount Seir. I will stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolate waste. / I will turn your cities into ruins, and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Isaiah 47:11 But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you that you will be unable to ward off. Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly. would they not steal only what they wanted? Proverbs 6:30-31 Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger. / Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house. 2 Samuel 12:1-6 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. / The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, / but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. … If grape gatherers came to you, Jeremiah 49:9 If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the night, would they not steal only what they wanted? Micah 7:1 Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave. would they not leave some gleanings? Leviticus 19:9-10 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. / You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 24:19-21 If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. / When you beat the olives from your trees, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. / When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. Joel 3:19 Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood. Malachi 1:3-4 but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” / Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever. Isaiah 34:5-6 When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Treasury of Scripture If thieves came to you, if robbers by night, (how are you cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some grapes? if robbers. Jeremiah 49:9 If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. how. 2 Samuel 1:19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! Jeremiah 50:23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! if the. Deuteronomy 24:21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. Isaiah 17:6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel. Isaiah 24:13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. some grapes. Jump to Previous Attacking Awaits Cut Cutting Destroyed Disaster Enough Gatherers Gleaning Gleanings Grape Grapegatherers Grape-Gatherers Grapes Leave Night Pickers Plunderers Robbers Ruined Spoilers Steal Stolen Sufficiency Thieves Wanted Wouldn'tJump to Next Attacking Awaits Cut Cutting Destroyed Disaster Enough Gatherers Gleaning Gleanings Grape Grapegatherers Grape-Gatherers Grapes Leave Night Pickers Plunderers Robbers Ruined Spoilers Steal Stolen Sufficiency Thieves Wanted Wouldn'tObadiah 1 1. The destruction of Edom,3. for their pride, 10. and for their wrong unto Jacob. 17. The salvation and victory of Jacob. If thieves came to you, This phrase introduces the metaphor of thieves, which is used to describe the impending judgment on Edom. In the ancient Near East, theft was a common occurrence, and thieves typically took only what they could carry. This imagery highlights the severity of Edom's coming destruction, suggesting it will be more thorough than a typical robbery. The Bible often uses the imagery of thieves to describe sudden and unexpected judgment (e.g., Matthew 24:43, 1 Thessalonians 5:2). if robbers by night— oh, how you will be ruined— would they not steal only what they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Persons / Places / Events 1. ObadiahThe prophet who authored the book, delivering a message of judgment against Edom. 2. Edom A nation descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, often in conflict with Israel. 3. Thieves and Robbers Used metaphorically to describe the complete and utter devastation that will come upon Edom. 4. Grape Pickers Symbolic of those who harvest, yet leave some behind, contrasting with the total destruction prophesied for Edom. 5. Israel The nation often in conflict with Edom, representing God's chosen people. Teaching Points Divine JusticeGod's judgment is thorough and complete. Unlike human thieves who leave something behind, God's judgment on Edom will be total. Consequences of Pride Edom's pride and arrogance led to their downfall. We must guard against pride and seek humility before God. God's Sovereignty The prophecy against Edom demonstrates God's control over nations and history. Trust in His sovereign plan. Repentance and Restoration While Edom faced destruction, individuals and nations today have the opportunity to repent and seek God's mercy. Community Responsibility Just as Edom was judged for its actions against Israel, we are called to act justly and love our neighbors. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Obadiah 1:5?2. How does Obadiah 1:5 illustrate the completeness of God's judgment on Edom? 3. What can we learn about God's justice from Obadiah 1:5? 4. How does Obadiah 1:5 connect with God's judgment in other scriptures? 5. How should understanding God's judgment in Obadiah 1:5 influence our daily lives? 6. What actions can we take to align with God's justice as seen in Obadiah? 7. How does Obadiah 1:5 reflect God's judgment on Edom's pride and betrayal? 8. What historical events align with the prophecy in Obadiah 1:5? 9. How does Obadiah 1:5 illustrate the theme of divine justice? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Obadiah 1? 11. What is sheep stealing and how can it be prevented? 12. Hosea 7:1 mentions God 'revealing' Israel's guilt--why is there so little historical or archaeological evidence confirming such exposure of wrongdoing at this time? 13. What is the meaning of Proverbs 20:1? 14. Why did God's vineyard produce only wild grapes? What Does Obadiah 1:5 Mean If thieves came to you– The Lord pictures common burglars breaking in. – Everyone in Edom knew that even crooks limit themselves; they grab what they can carry and flee (cf. Matthew 6:19 where earthly thieves “break in and steal”). – By opening with “if,” God sets up a contrast: what He is about to do far surpasses ordinary crime scenes. If robbers by night—oh, how you will be ruined – Robbers strike in darkness when victims are least prepared (Job 24:14). – “Oh, how you will be ruined” signals divine certainty; Edom’s downfall is not hypothetical. – The emphasis on night underscores sudden, irreversible loss (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 3:3). Would they not steal only what they wanted? – Thieves pick through valuables, leaving lesser items behind. – Ordinary loss is partial; life goes on afterward (Proverbs 6:30-31). – God announces that, unlike human plunderers, He will allow nothing to remain of Edom’s pride, wealth, or defenses (Obadiah 1:6). If grape gatherers came to you – Harvesters take bunches but always miss a few grapes (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:21). – The picture is agricultural, familiar to Edom’s mountain vineyards (Genesis 36:8-9). Would they not leave some gleanings? – Under Israel’s law, gleanings were purposely left for the poor; even pagans recognized that total stripping was wasteful. – The Lord warns that Edom will enjoy no such mercy; every “grape” of security will be removed (Jeremiah 49:9, a parallel prophecy). – The comparison exposes Edom’s coming devastation as absolute—far worse than any human invasion or harvest. summary Obadiah 1:5 stacks two vivid analogies to show the completeness of God’s judgment against Edom. Human thieves and grape pickers always leave something behind, whether by choice or by necessity. The Lord, however, will see to it that Edom is stripped of everything—possessions, power, and pride—because of its longstanding hostility toward His people. The verse assures believers that God’s justice is thorough and certain, and no earthly security can stand when He rises to judge. (5-9) The completeness of the overthrow awaiting Edom. It is no mere inroad of a marauding tribe. Something would escape the robber, though he might go away quite satisfied with his plunder; and even a raid in vintage time, for the purpose of doing all the mischief possible to the country, would leave here and there a scattered bunch, gleanings for the inhabitants when the spoilers had retired, but now everything is doomed to destruction. Edom is completely robbed and ransacked. Notice how the sad, almost pathetic, conviction of this breaks out--as if rather from a friend (see Introduction) than an enemy--in the parenthetical "how art thou cut off!" in the very middle of the sentence. Every one must perceive, the prophet seems to say, a higher hand at work here.(5) Some grapes.--Gleanings, as in margin. (Comp. Isaiah 17:6; Isaiah 24:13.) (6) How are the things of Esau searched out!--Literally, How are they searched out Esau! Where Esau is either taken collectively = Edom as a nation, or we must supply, as in the Authorised Version, "the things of," or, as Ewald, "they of." For search, comp. Zephaniah 1:12. His hidden things.--Heb., matspunim, from tsapan = to hide, but whether hidden treasures or hiding places cannot be determined, as the word only occurs here. (7-9) Overtaken by this terrible calamity, and deserted by her allies, Edom will turn in vain for counsel to her senators and wise men, and for support to her heroes and mighty men, for these will not only share in the general ruin, but are marked out for an overthrow as signal as their renown. (7) All the men of thy confederacy. . . .--This desertion by allies is doubtless put prominently forward as the due retribution on Edom for his treachery and cruelty to his natural ally, his brother Jacob. The members of the confederacy are not specified. In Jeremiah 27:3 we find Edom associated with Moab, Ainmon, Tyre, and Sidon, in the warning to submit to Nebuchadnezzar. The two former would be the natural allies of Edom, and in Ezekiel 25:8 Seir is joined with Moab as reproaching Israel. From Psalm 60:8, we may add to these Philistia (comp. also Obadiah 1:19). The expression "have brought thee to the border" is variously understood. The most natural explanation is that the fugitives from the ruin of Edom, flying into the territory of neighbouring and allied tribes for help, are basely driven back to their own frontier, and left to their fate. . . . Verse 5, 6. - To prove the completeness of the destruction that shall befall Eden, the prophet supposes two cases of despoiling in which something would be left behind. It will be far worse than any mere raid of thieves; nothing will be spared. Verse 5. - Thieves... robbers. The former are ordinary thieves who pilfer secretly; the latter are robbers who act with violence, or members of a marauding expedition. How art thou cut off! An interposed ejaculation of the prophet, sympathizing with the Edomites for the utter desolation which he sees in vision. Septuagint, Ποῦ ἄν ἀπεῥῤίφης; "Where wouldst thou have been east away?" taking a different reading; Vulgate, Quomodo conticuisses? "How wouldst thou have been silent?" i.e. for fear. Till they had enough. Would they not have taken such plunder as they wanted, and then decamped? The grape gatherers would leave some bunches untouched, which escaped their notice. There is no reference to the charitable law in Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 24:21, which would not affect, or be known unto, these grape plunderers.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew “Ifאִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not thieves גַּנָּבִ֤ים (gan·nā·ḇîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 1590: A stealer came בָּאֽוּ־ (bā·’ū-) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go to you, לְךָ֙ (lə·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew if אִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not robbers שׁ֣וֹדְדֵי (šō·wḏ·ḏê) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Strong's 7703: To deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin by night— לַ֔יְלָה (lay·lāh) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity oh, how אֵ֣יךְ (’êḵ) Interjection Strong's 349: How?, how!, where you will be ruined— נִדְמֵ֔יתָה (niḏ·mê·ṯāh) Verb - Nifal - Perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 1820: To be dumb, silent, to fail, perish, trans, to destroy would they not הֲל֥וֹא (hă·lō·w) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no steal יִגְנְב֖וּ (yiḡ·nə·ḇū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 1589: To thieve, to deceive [only] what they wanted? דַּיָּ֑ם (day·yām) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 1767: Sufficiency, enough If אִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not grape pickers בֹּֽצְרִים֙ (bō·ṣə·rîm) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 1219: To cut off, make inaccessible, enclose came בָּ֣אוּ (bā·’ū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go to you, לָ֔ךְ (lāḵ) Preposition | second person feminine singular Strong's Hebrew would they not הֲל֖וֹא (hă·lō·w) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no leave יַשְׁאִ֥ירוּ (yaš·’î·rū) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 7604: To swell up, be, redundant [some] gleanings? עֹלֵלֽוֹת׃ (‘ō·lê·lō·wṯ) Noun - feminine plural Strong's 5955: Gleanings, gleaning-time Links Obadiah 1:5 NIVObadiah 1:5 NLT Obadiah 1:5 ESV Obadiah 1:5 NASB Obadiah 1:5 KJV Obadiah 1:5 BibleApps.com Obadiah 1:5 Biblia Paralela Obadiah 1:5 Chinese Bible Obadiah 1:5 French Bible Obadiah 1:5 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Obadiah 1:5 If thieves came to you if robbers (Obad. 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