Ezekiel 15

KJV · Chapter 15/48

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God compares Jerusalem to a vine branch: wood useless for any construction, and even more useless once burned by fire.

Explanation

This is one of the shortest chapters in the book and uses a simple, direct metaphor: unlike other trees, vine wood is not useful for making furniture or tools — it is only good for producing fruit (wine) or, if it produces none, for being burned. The comparison is harsh because Israel was often described as 'God's vineyard' (Isaiah 5, Psalm 80), so saying that the vine does not even yield useful wood implies that, without fruit, it truly has no purpose at all. The practical application is a reminder that the identity of a people chosen by God was tied to the purpose of reflecting His righteousness, not to automatic privileges.

Chapters

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