Ezekiel — Chapter 15

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1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

4Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?

5Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?

6Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.

8And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.

1And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

4Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned: is it profitable for any work?

5Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!

6Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7And I will set my face against them; they shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I set my face against them.

8And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Jehovah.

1The Lord’s message came to me:

2“Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine?

3Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on?

4No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything?

5Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred?

6“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest that I have provided as fuel for the fire—so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem as fuel.

7I will set my face against them—although they have escaped from the fire, the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them.

8I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

1Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3Will wood be taken of it to make anything? Will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel on it?

4Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire has devoured both its ends, and the middle of it is burned. Is it profitable for any work?

5Behold, when it was whole, it was suitable for no work. How much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it has been burned, will it yet be suitable for any work?”

6Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

7I will set my face against them. They will go out from the fire, but the fire will devour them. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them.

8I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass,” says the Lord Yahweh.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The parable of the vine wood: "What is the vine tree more than any tree?" — useless for carpentry, good only for burning. If it won't bear fruit (its ONE purpose), it has NO other value. Jerusalem is God's vine — and having failed to bear fruit, she's fit only for the fire.

Authorship & Background

Author: Ezekiel son of Buzi (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Parable — The Useless Vine Key Themes: Israel as vine, vine wood's sole value = fruit, without fruit = fuel for fire, Jerusalem's purposeless existence apart from God
Historical Context: Israel/Jerusalem is frequently called God's "vine" (Psalm 80:8-16; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21). The vine was Israel's national symbol (even appearing on Maccabean coins). But Ezekiel asks: what's vine WOOD good for — apart from bearing fruit? Answer: NOTHING. It's too soft for carpentry, too twisted for building. Its ONLY value is fruit. If the vine doesn't fruit, its wood is LESS useful than any forest tree. The application: if Jerusalem isn't fulfilling her PURPOSE (bearing fruit for God), she has no value whatsoever — she's firewood.
Structure:
  • The Question: Is Vine Wood Special? (vv.1-3)
  • The Answer: Only Good for Burning (vv.4-5)
  • The Application: Jerusalem as Firewood (vv.6-8)

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.6): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Charles Spurgeon: "Vine wood has ONE purpose: fruit. Take that away and it's the most useless wood in the forest. You cannot even make a peg from it. So with God's people: if they don't fulfill their purpose (fruitfulness), they have NO alternative value. Fruitlessness is not just disappointing — it's TERMINAL."

Videos

The Bible Project — Ezekiel Overview (Video)

Reflection

  • 1. "What is the vine more than any tree?" (v.2). Your ONLY distinction as God's person is FRUIT. Without spiritual fruit, you have no claim to special status. Are you bearing fruit — or just taking up space?
  • 2. Can't even make a peg (v.3). Vine wood without fruit is worthless — not just less useful but USELESS. God doesn't have a "Plan B" for fruitless believers. Fruitfulness is the whole point.
  • 3. Already charred (v.4). If you've already experienced partial judgment (discipline, consequences) — and STILL aren't producing fruit — your situation is MORE precarious, not less.
  • 4. John 15:6 is the NT version. "If a man abide not in me... cast forth... burned." Jesus teaches the same principle: connection to Him (abiding) produces fruit. Disconnection produces nothing but fuel for fire.