Καὶ καταλειφθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ καλάμη ἢ ὡς ῥῶγες ἐλαίας δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἐπ᾽ ἄκρου μετεώρου ἢ τέσσαρες ἢ πέντε ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων αὐτῶν καταλειφθῇ τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ισραηλ (Isaiah 17:6 LXX)
A Remnant in the Branches
Isaiah 17:6 LXX presents a vivid agricultural metaphor — scattered olives left clinging to high branches — as an image of the surviving remnant after judgment. The Greek grammar delicately balances conditional syntax, comparative imagery, and divine speech formula, capturing the tension between devastation and hope.
Main Structure: A Conditional + Declarative Oracle
The verse consists of:
A conditional-like participial construction: καὶ καταλειφθῇ… — “and if there should be left…”
A simile: ὡς ῥῶγες ἐλαίας… — “like olive berries…”
A prophetic declaration: τάδε λέγει κύριος…
This creates a flow:
Consequence of judgment (few left)
Visual metaphor (scattered olives)
Divine authentication (YHWH’s voice)
καταλειφθῇ ἐν αὐτῇ καλάμη — The Leftover Stalk
Verb:
καταλειφθῇ: aorist passive subjunctive, 3rd singular of καταλείπω — “might be left behind”
The subjunctive form suggests possibility, or a conditional potential: “if it should be left…”
Subject:
καλάμη: “stalk” or “stubble” — singular feminine nominative, likely subject of καταλειφθῇ
ἐν αὐτῇ: “in it” — referring to the land/city implied from the context
Syntactic Note:
This opening conditional clause sets the tone: only a stalk, not a harvest, remains — a remnant, not abundance.… Learn Koine Greek
