1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, 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?
5 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?
6 Therefore 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.
7 And 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.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.
1 And the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me, saying, H559
2 Son H1121 of man, H120 What is the vine H1612 tree H6086 more than any tree, H6086 or than a branch H2156 which is among the trees H6086 of the forest? H3293
3 Shall wood H6086 be taken H3947 thereof to do H6213 any work? H4399 or will men take H3947 a pin H3489 of it to hang H8518 any vessel H3627 thereon?
4 Behold, it is cast H5414 into the fire H784 for fuel; H402 the fire H784 devoureth H398 both H8147 the ends H7098 of it, and the midst H8432 of it is burned. H2787 Is it meet H6743 for any work? H4399
5 Behold, when it was whole, H8549 it was meet H6213 for no work: H4399 how much less shall it be meet H6213 yet for any work, H4399 when the fire H784 hath devoured H398 it, and it is burned? H2787
6 Therefore thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 As the vine H1612 tree H6086 among the trees H6086 of the forest, H3293 which I have given H5414 to the fire H784 for fuel, H402 so will I give H5414 the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem. H3389
7 And I will set H5414 my face H6440 against them; they shall go out H3318 from one fire, H784 and another fire H784 shall devour H398 them; and ye shall know H3045 that I am the LORD, H3068 when I set H7760 my face H6440 against them.
8 And I will make H5414 the land H776 desolate, H8077 because they have committed H4603 a trespass, H4604 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto 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?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, 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?
5 Behold, 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!
6 Therefore 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.
7 And 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.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Jehovah.
1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:
2 `Son of man, What is the vine-tree more than any tree? The vine-branch that hath been, Among trees of the forest?
3 Is wood taken from it to use for work? Do they take of it a pin to hang any vessel on it?
4 Lo, to the fire it hath been given for fuel, Its two ends hath the fire eaten, And its midst hath been scorched! Is it profitable for work?
5 Lo, in its being perfect it is not used for work, How much less, when fire hath eaten of it, And it is scorched, Hath it been used yet for work?
6 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: As the vine-tree among trees of the forest, That I have given to the fire for fuel, So I have given the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I have set My face against them, From the fire they have gone forth, And the fire doth consume them, And ye have known that I `am' Jehovah, In My setting My face against them.
8 And I have made the land a desolation, Because they have committed a trespass, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'
1 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, what is the wood of the vine more than any wood, the vine-branch, which is among the trees of the forest?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will [men] take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel: the fire consumeth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned; is it fit for [any] work?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was used for no work; how much less when the fire hath consumed it, and it is burned, should it yet be used for any work?
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them: they shall go forth from [one] fire, and [another] fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I [am] Jehovah when I set my face against them.
8 And I will make the land a desolation, because they have wrought unfaithfulness, saith the Lord Jehovah.
1 The word of Yahweh 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?
3 Shall wood be taken of it to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire has devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned: is it profitable for any work?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!
6 Therefore 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 will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 I will set my face against them; they shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them; and you shall know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them.
8 I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, says the Lord Yahweh.
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any branching tree which is among the trees of the woods?
3 Will its wood be used for any work? do men make of it a pin for hanging any vessel on?
4 See, it is put into the fire for burning: the fire has made a meal of its two ends and the middle part of it is burned; is it good for any work?
5 Truly, before it was cut down, it was not used for any purpose: how much less, when the fire has made a meal of it and it is burned, will it be made into anything?
6 For this cause the Lord has said: Like the vine-tree among the trees of the woods which I have given to the fire for burning, so will I give the people of Jerusalem.
7 And my face will be turned against them; and though they have come out of the fire they will be burned up by it; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord when my face is turned against them.
8 And I will make the land a waste because they have done evil, says the Lord.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on Ezekiel 15
Commentary on Ezekiel 15 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 15
The destruction of Jerusalem is again prophesied of in this chapter, and is set forth under the simile of a vine tree, which, for its uselessness, is committed to the fire. The simile is in Ezekiel 15:1; the application of it in Ezekiel 15:6.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. The destruction of Jerusalem had been represented under various types and similes before, as of a siege, and a sharp razor; and here of a fruitless and useless vine, only fit for the fire; which was delivered out by a spirit of prophecy. The Targum calls it the word of prophecy, as usual.
Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree,.... Or, "the wood of the vine than any wood"F2עץ הגפן מכל עץ "lignum vitis prae omni ligno", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Polanus, Starckius. ; it is not better than other wood; it is not so good as any other wood; nay, it is good for nothing. The fruit of the vine tree is good, but its wood is of no use: a vine tree, if it bears fruit, is valuable; but if it does not, it is of no account. The people of the Jews are often compared to a vine, who, while they brought forth good fruit, were in esteem; but, when they became like an empty and fruitless vine, were rejected as good for nothing, Psalm 80:8; they were originally no better than others; what they had were owing to the grace and goodness of God; and when they degenerated, they were the worst of all people:
or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? a vine tree that bears fruit is better than a tree of the forest, or than a branch of one that is unfruitful; but a vine tree that does not bear fruit is not so good; because the wood of the one may be useful when the other is not; though the words may be better rendered, even "the branch of a wild vine which is among the trees of the forest"F3הזמורה "surculus", Cocceius; "surculus vitis", Starckius; "vitis sylvestris", Munster. So Ben Melech interprets the branch, of a vine. ; and so it explains what vine tree is spoken of; not a fruitful one in the vineyards, but a wild and barren one in the forest. So Jarchi paraphrases the words,
"not of the vine in the vineyards, which bears fruit, speak I unto thee; but of the branch of the vine which grows in the forests;'
and so Kimchi,
"I do not ask thee of the vine tree which beareth fruit, for that is valuable; but of the branch (of the wild vine) which is among the trees of the forest, and is as they that do not bear fruit, concerning that I ask thee; for even it is not as the trees of the forest; for the trees of the forest, though they do not bear fruit, they are fit to do work of them, to make vessels of them, and to floor houses with them; but the wood of this vine is not so.'
Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work?.... The carpenter and joiner, the house or ship builder, are employed in; as to build houses of, make beams, rafters, floors, &c. build ships with, make masts of, &c. or any vessel or utensil for the use of man? it never is; it is not fit for any such purpose. PlinyF4Nat. Hist. l. 14. c. 1. speaks of some rarities made of the wood of vines, but not things of common use; and these not of any vines, but of some peculiar ones, favoured by the air and soil
or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? it is not fit to make a peg of to hang a hat on; and much less for anything that requires more strength.
Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel, That is; a vine tree when cut down, or a branch when cut off, it is good for nothing else; and that is the use it is generally put to; see John 15:6; and this, it is suggested, would be the end of the Jewish nation; who were become by their sins like a wild vine, and were fit fuel for the fire of divine wrath:
the fire devoureth both the ends of it; the branch cast into it, and so is quickly consumed. Kimchi explains this by Isaiah 9:12; "the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind, and they devour Israel with open mouth"; and Abendana of the ten tribes; but it seems only to design how soon the fire takes it; and how inevitable the consumption is when it is fired at both ends:
and the midst of it is burnt: presently; it being dried, and reduced to a brand by the heat of the fire at both ends: this Kimchi interprets of the city of Jerusalem, which was in the midst of the land:
is it meet for any work? no; for if it was not fit for any work when cut down, or cut off, much less when burnt in the fire.
Behold, when it was whole it was meet for no work,.... Before it was cut into pieces, and east into the fire, it was not fit to make so much as a pin of to hang anything on; so Israel, when all together, before the ten tribes were carried captive, or the Jews before the captivity of Jeconiah, were useless and unfruitful, and to every good work reprobate:
how much less shall it be meet yet for any work when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? as its wood is good for nothing before it is burned, its ashes are useless after.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God,.... Now follows the application of the simile:
as the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel; to be burnt, as other trees of the forest are, and along with them:
so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem; to be destroyed along with other nations by the Chaldeans; they being no better, but as bad, if not worse, like wild vines among forest trees; and therefore must fare no better: this was the decree and determination of the Lord.
And I will set my face against them,.... In wrath to destroy them; see Ezekiel 14:8; and
they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them: from one calamity to another; those that escaped the famine and pestilence in the city fell by the sword; and those that escaped famine, sword, and pestilence, were carried into captivity, and there passed from one hardship and affliction to another. The Targum is,
"I will execute my vengeance on them, because of the words of the law, which were given out of the midst of fire; they have transgressed, and people who are strong as fire shall consume them.'
Some, as Abendana observes, interpret the fire, out of which they went, of Sennacherib, out of whose hand the Lord delivered them; and the fire which devoured them, of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and it may be rendered, "they have gone out"F5יצאו "exiverunt", Cocceius, Starckius. , &c.
and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them; he is known by his judgments to be the Lord God omnipotent, holy, just, and true.
And I will make the land desolate,.... The land of Judea uncultivated, men and beast being cut off; see Ezekiel 14:15;
because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God; acted a treacherous and perfidious part; apostatized from God, having committed idolatry, which was the cause of their ruin; and therefore it was not without a cause that the Lord did what he did, in it; see Ezekiel 14:23.