Ezekiel 15
Read Ezekiel 15 (WEB)+
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.
World English Bible (public domain)
“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, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
Ezekiel 15:6
Summary
Ezekiel 15 presents a powerful metaphor comparing the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants to a vine. The chapter opens with the Lord posing a rhetorical question: what value does the wood of a vine have compared to the wood of other trees? Unlike the strong, useful timber of trees, vine wood is weak and can't be shaped into anything substantial. This allegory serves to illustrate the unfruitfulness and impending judgment of Jerusalem. Because the vine is unproductive, it is destined to be burned as fuel—a symbol of the destruction that awaits the city due to its unfaithfulness and sin. The passage reinforces themes of divine judgment and the consequences of failing to fulfill God's purpose.
Key Themes
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