Isaiah 17:5 - Exposition

As when the harvestman gathereth the corn . Death is the "harvestman" here, and gathers the Israelites by shocks, or sheaves, into his garner. A great depopulation appears in 2 Kings 17:25 , where we learn that lions so multiplied in the land as to become a terror to the few inhabitants. Reapeth the ears . Mr. Cheyne well remarks that the "ears" only were reaped, the stalk being cut close under the ear. This was the practice also in Egypt. In the valley of Rephaim . The valley of Rephaim was the scene of David's double victory over the Philistines, related in 2 Samuel 5:17-25 . It is disputed whether it lay north or south of Jerusalem; but the connection with Bethlehem ( 2 Samuel 23:13-17 ) and with the cave of Adullam seem decisive in favor of a southern position. A "valley," however ( 'emek ), suitable for the cultivation of corn, in this direction, has yet to be discovered.