Ezekiel 15:4

Ezekiel 15:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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?
• New International Version (NIV)And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work?

Context of Ezekiel 15:4

2‘Son of man, the wood of a vine is no better than the wood of any other tree that grows in the forest. 3Nobody can use its wood to make anything that is useful. They cannot even make pegs to hang clothes on! You can throw it on a fire to make the fire burn. But after the fire has finished, only a useless black piece of vine remains. 5It was useless before you put it on the fire. It is even more useless after the fire has burnt it. You cannot make anything with it. 6So this is what the Almighty Lord says: Among the trees of the forest, I have provided the wood of vines to burn on a fire. In the same way, I will take the people of Jerusalem to punish them.

Ezekiel 15:4 word by word

הִנֵּ֥ה לָאֵ֖שׁ נִתַּ֣ן לְאָכְלָ֑ה אֵת֩ שְׁנֵ֨י קְצוֹתָ֜יו אָכְלָ֤ה הָאֵשׁ֙ וְתוֹכ֣וֹ נָחָ֔ר הֲיִצְלַ֖ח לִמְלָאכָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Behold, it is castנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• into the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• for fuelאׇכְלָה'ôklâh · foodH402
• devourethאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• bothשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• the endsקָצָהqâtsâh · endH7098
• of it, and the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of it is burnedחָרַרchârar · to scorchH2787
• Is it meetצָלֵחַtsâlach tsâlêach · to prosperH6743
• workמְלָאכָהmelâ'kâh · workH4399

Cross-references for Ezekiel 15:4

• Psalms 80:16But now the enemy has cut down your vine, and they have burned it with fire. Show them that you are angry with them, and destroy them!
• Isaiah 27:11When the branches become dry, they break off the tree. Women will take the sticks and they will make fires with them. That is what these people are like. They do not understand anything. So their Maker will not help them or be kind to them.
• John 15:6If anyone does not remain in me, that person is like a dead branch. The gardener will throw that branch away and it will die. People throw all those dead branches into the fire so that they burn.
• Hebrews 6:8But a field where only weeds and thorn bushes grow is worth nothing. God will very soon speak against that ground. In the end, fire will burn all of it.
• Isaiah 1:31Even your most powerful men will disappear. They will be like a piece of string that burns in a fire. Their sins will be the fire that destroys them. They and their sins will burn together, and nobody will put out the fire.
• Amos 4:11‘I killed many people among you, as I destroyed the cities called Sodom and Gomorrah. Some of you did not die. You were like a stick that is already burning. And someone saves it from the fire. But still you did not start to pray to me again.’ The Lord says this!
• Malachi 4:1‘The great day when I come to judge people will certainly happen. Punishment will come like the great fire of a hot oven. It will destroy all the proud people who do evil things. It will completely destroy them, like a fire that destroys dry grass. Nothing will remain.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
• Matthew 3:12He is like a farmer that brings the wheat home from his field. He uses a special tool to throw the wheat up in the air. He does this to make the wheat seeds separate from what remains. Then he cleans his yard. He carefully stores all the seeds to keep them safe. But he burns everything else in a great fire that nobody can put out.’
• Hebrews 12:29Remember that our God is like a fire. He destroys everything that is not good.

Commentaries on Ezekiel 15:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned - Judea is like a vine branch thrown into the fire, which seizes on both the ends, and scorches the middle: so both the extremities of the land is wasted; and the middle, Jerusalem, is now threatened with a siege, and by and by will be totally destroyed.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Behold, it is cast into the fire - The wood is in itself useless for any purpose; but what if it have been cast into the fire, and half burned, what of it then?Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-5The wood of most trees can be used to make many useful objects. Even small pieces can serve as pegs, which are simple wooden pins used to hang or hold things in place. The wood of a vine is different. It is weak and thin. It is not strong enough to make pegs or other tools. It is not even useful as firewood. It burns too quickly and does not give much heat. In this way, vine wood is completely useless.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. cast into ... fire--(Joh 15:6). both the ends--the north kingdom having been already overturned by Assyria under Tiglath-pileser; the south being pressed on by Egypt (2Ki 23:29-35). midst of it is burned--rather, "is on flame"; namely, Jerusalem, which had now caught the flame by the attack of Nebuchadnezzar. Is it meet for any work--"it," that is, the scorched part still remaining.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Fuel
• Meet

Commentaries on Ezekiel 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings