“Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.”
Thus says the LORD: As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. The survival that awaits Israel is not deliverance but mere remnants — the grim humor of the shepherd salvaging only two legs and an ear from a lion's kill, just enough to show the owner that the animal truly died. The luxurious furniture (couch, bed) echoes the earlier condemnation of those who 'lie on beds of ivory' (6:4), suggesting that Israel's elite will be saved only as shattered fragments of their former opulence. True rescue this is not; it is the bitter comedy of ruin.
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