Obadiah 1:5 (ASV)

Passage

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?

Nearby Context

Obadiah 1:3 The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Obadiah 1:4 Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith Jehovah.

Obadiah 1:5 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?

Obadiah 1:6 How are [the things of] Esau searched! how are his hidden treasures sought out!

Obadiah 1:7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee on thy way, even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; [they that eat] thy bread lay a snare under thee: there is no understanding in him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thieves", "came", "thee", "robbers", "night", "thou", "steal", and "only". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thieves" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Though thou mount on high as the..." into verse 6's "How are the things of Esau searched...", so "thieves" and "came" belong inside that flow. In Obadiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thieves" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.