Isaiah 17:5 uses the imagery of a harvestman reaping corn to symbolize the complete and inevitable destruction of Damascus and its people. The verse emphasizes that just as a reaper gathers every ear of corn in the harvest, the judgment on Damascus will be thorough and final. The reference to the valley of Rephaim, a significant location near Jerusalem, highlights the severity and certainty of this divine judgment. This passage underscores the totality of the destruction that will come upon Syria as part of God’s broader plan for the nations.