Ezekiel 15:5 kjv
Behold, 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?
Ezekiel 15:5 nkjv
Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?
Ezekiel 15:5 niv
If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?
Ezekiel 15:5 esv
Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything!
Ezekiel 15:5 nlt
Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire!
Ezekiel 15 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 5:1-7 | My beloved had a vineyard... I looked for it to yield good grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. What more could have been done...? | Israel as a failed, unfruitful vineyard. |
| Psa 80:8-16 | You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it... but now it is burned with fire. | Israel as God's transplanted but now ravaged vine. |
| Jer 2:21 | Yet I had planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned into a degenerate plant of a foreign vine? | Israel's unfaithfulness, becoming a wild, degenerate vine. |
| Hos 10:1-2 | Israel is an empty vine; he produces fruit for himself. As his fruit abounded, he built more altars... | Israel's self-serving fruit and increasing sin. |
| Jer 8:13 | When I would gather them, declares the LORD, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves have withered. | Total barrenness of God's people. |
| Ecc 1:2 | Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. | All is futile, useless, without God-given purpose. |
| Heb 6:7-8 | For land that has drunk the rain... and yet bears thorns and thistles—it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. | Land (or people) producing bad fruit is worthless. |
| Mal 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble... | Day of judgment consumes the wicked like fire. |
| Nah 1:6 | Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire. | God's fierce wrath poured out as fire. |
| Matt 3:10 | Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. | Unfruitful trees/people destined for fire. |
| Matt 7:19 | Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. | Consequence for not bearing good fruit. |
| John 15:6 | If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and people gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. | Unproductive branches are cut off and burned. |
| Heb 10:27 | ...but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. | Fiery judgment awaits God's adversaries. |
| 1 Cor 3:13 | ...each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire. | Works tested by fire, exposing what is truly lasting. |
| Rev 20:14 | Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. | Ultimate, eternal destruction by fire. |
| Eze 15:6 | "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel... | Direct follow-up, identifying Jerusalem with the vine wood given to fire. |
| John 15:2 | Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. | Consequences for bearing or not bearing fruit. |
| Luke 13:6-9 | He told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard... it produced no fruit... cut it down." | Parable of the barren fig tree illustrating judgment. |
| Rom 11:17-21 | But if some of the branches were broken off... take care lest you too be cut off. | Branches (Israel) broken off due to unbelief. |
| Jer 6:30 | "Rejected silver they are called, for the LORD has rejected them." | God rejecting His people due to unfaithfulness, likening them to worthless metal. |
Ezekiel 15 verses
Ezekiel 15 5 Meaning
Ezekiel 15:5 conveys the inherent worthlessness of vine wood, emphasizing that even in its complete, natural state, it possesses no practical value for building or craftsmanship. The verse rhetorically amplifies this by stating that its uselessness is exponentially greater once it has been consumed and scorched by fire, symbolizing God's judgment and the total destruction of unfaithful Jerusalem due to its spiritual barrenness.
Ezekiel 15 5 Context
This chapter opens a trilogy of messages (chapters 15-17) conveying God's definitive judgment against Jerusalem. Chapter 15 is a concise, rhetorical parable delivered by God to Ezekiel, questioning the intrinsic worth of a vine branch compared to any other wood found in a forest. The unequivocal answer (verses 3-5) is that vine wood is significantly inferior. Due to its soft, gnarled, and often brittle nature, it serves no practical purpose for construction, tool-making, or any form of useful craft. Its singular value lies in producing grapes. Should it fail in this function, it is fit only for fuel, and even then, it burns quickly and without providing substantial heat. Verses 6-8 explicitly translate this allegory to Jerusalem and its inhabitants, declaring that, just as the useless vine wood is delivered to the flames, so will Jerusalem be utterly consumed by divine judgment for its unfaithfulness.
Historically, Ezekiel was prophesying to Jewish exiles in Babylon during a period rife with despair but also clinging to false hope. Jerusalem was either under final siege or had already fallen. Many believed that Jerusalem and its Temple, being the seat of God's presence, were inviolable. God, through Ezekiel, powerfully dismantled these nationalistic assumptions and empty religious formalism. He made it clear that Judah's "worthiness" or divine protection was conditional upon its spiritual fruitfulness and fidelity, not its mere existence as a nation or its special status. Having failed to bear the fruit of righteousness, it lost all unique value in God's eyes and became ripe for destruction, just like a useless vine branch. This particular verse addresses both the pre-judgment (whole) and post-judgment (burned) states of the wood, emphasizing its utter lack of inherent worth in either scenario.
Ezekiel 15 5 Word analysis
- Behold, (Heb. Hinnēh - הִנֵּה): This interjection serves to command special attention, emphasizing the significant nature of the truth being revealed. It functions as an alert to the hearer or reader to carefully observe the ensuing statement, signaling an important divine pronouncement.
- when it was whole, (Heb. k’hilyôtô - כְּהֱיוֹתוֹ; lit. "in its being whole/complete"): This phrase refers to the vine wood in its natural, untrimmed, and unburned state. It underscores that the worthlessness described is an inherent characteristic, existing even when the wood is ostensibly "perfect" or complete as wood. The implication for Israel is that its lack of inherent value was present even when it existed as a seemingly intact nation before overt divine judgment.
- it was meet for no work: (Heb. lo'-yē'aśeh limlā'khāh - לֹא־יֵעָשֶׂה לִמְלָאכָה; lit. "it would not be made for work/craft"): This clearly asserts the material inadequacy of vine wood for any practical or constructive purpose. Its intrinsic properties—being soft, often twisted, and porous—preclude its use in building structures, crafting tools, or making furniture. This deficiency points to Israel's inability to serve a functional purpose for God, having failed to fulfill its role of producing spiritual fruit.
- how much less, (Heb. 'af kī - אַף כִּי; lit. "indeed, that/for, even though, much more/less"): This powerful rhetorical device acts as an a fortiori amplifier. It dramatically heightens the sense of worthlessness, suggesting that if the vine wood was already useless in its complete state, its uselessness is undeniably absolute and exponentially greater after it has been damaged or destroyed by fire. It eliminates any residual hope of value.
- when the fire hath devoured it, (Heb. wə'ēsh 'ăḵālathū - וְאֵשׁ אֲכָלַתְהוּ; lit. "and fire consumed it"): This explicitly details the destructive action of fire. "Devoured" (from the root 'ākhál) denotes complete consumption or obliteration, highlighting the extent of the damage. In the allegorical context, this symbolizes the comprehensive divine judgment that fell upon Jerusalem.
- and it is burned? (Heb. wayyeḥereh - וַיֶּחֱרֶה; lit. "and it was scorched/blackened"): This adds a further dimension to the description of the fire's effect. While "devoured" speaks of consumption, "burned" or "scorched" focuses on the resulting desolate, charred remnant, emphasizing that nothing of value or usability remains. The dual imagery reinforces the irreversible and total nature of the destruction.
- "when it was whole, it was meet for no work": This phrase sharply contrasts Israel's existence as a complete nation with its inherent lack of utilitarian value for God. It challenges any misconception that their national status or continued existence granted them intrinsic worth, irrespective of their spiritual fruitfulness.
- "how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?": This concluding rhetorical question underscores the finality and totality of divine judgment. The combined imagery of being "devoured" and "burned" signifies complete devastation, leaving no hope for reclamation or restoration in its prior form. It emphatically states that if an intact, unfaithful nation held no divine purpose, one utterly destroyed by God's wrath holds absolutely no value or distinctiveness.
Ezekiel 15 5 Bonus section
The strategic choice of vine wood as the central metaphor in this chapter is deeply significant. Unlike many other woods referenced in Scripture for their durability, beauty, or aroma (such as cedar, cypress, or olive), vine wood fundamentally lacks these esteemed qualities. Its inherent weaknesses—being soft, pliable, often gnarled, quick to decay, and frequently hollow—render it singularly unfit for crafting anything sturdy, lasting, or aesthetically pleasing, apart from its primary biological function of producing grapes. This particular characteristic elevates the theological impact of the passage: God is directly communicating that His people, Israel, if they detach from their sacred calling to produce spiritual fruit (such as justice, righteousness, and sincere worship), possess no inherent strength, intrinsic value, or lasting utility. Therefore, the judgment by fire is not merely retributive punishment but a clear, decisive declaration of absolute worthlessness and removal for an entity that utterly failed its singular intended purpose. This prefigures essential New Testament teachings, most notably John 15, where Christ Himself is identified as the true Vine, and believers are the branches. The message remains consistent: bearing fruit is paramount for maintaining connection to Christ, and the severe consequence for unfruitfulness is removal and destruction by fire, underscoring the enduring principle of divine assessment based on purpose fulfilled.
Ezekiel 15 5 Commentary
Ezekiel 15:5 offers a profound declaration that unfaithful Judah possessed no inherent value even before facing divine judgment, and certainly none following its devastation. The metaphor of vine wood underscores its natural unsuitability for any constructive purpose; its sole utility is to bear fruit. When Judah, likened to God's chosen vine, failed to produce righteousness, it abandoned its divine purpose and became destined for the fiery judgment, representing the Babylonian destruction and God's purifying wrath. This verse emphasizes that God assesses His people by their spiritual fruitfulness, not by their mere existence or national identity. Its depiction as "devoured and burned" signifies a complete, irreversible judgment due to utter spiritual barrenness. The passage serves to dismantle any false presumption of intrinsic worth for God's people independent of their obedience and fruit-bearing.