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, what good is the wood from a vine? Is it better than the wood from a tree in the forest? 3Do people use it to make something? Do they make a peg from it to hang things on? No! It is only thrown into the fire as fuel. The fire burns up both its ends and chars its middle. Then can it be used to make anything? 5When the vine was in perfect condition, it couldn’t be made into anything. How can it be used to make anything after the fire has burned and charred it? 6“So this is what the Almighty Lord says: As a vine is taken from among the trees in the forest to be used to feed the fire, so I will take the people who live in 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 80:16The vine has been cut down and burned. Let them be destroyed by the threatening look on your face.
• Isaiah 27:11When the branches are dried up, they will be broken off. Women will come and build a fire with them. These people don’t understand ⌞these things⌟. That is why their maker won’t have compassion on them, and their Creator won’t have pity on them.
• John 15:6Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned.
• Hebrews 6:8However, if the earth produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
• Isaiah 1:31Strong people will become tinder for a fire, and their work will be the spark. Both of them will burn together, and there will be no one to put out the fire.
• Amos 4:11I destroyed some of you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning log snatched from a fire. And you still didn’t return to me, declares the Lord.
• Malachi 4:1“Certainly the day is coming! It will burn like a furnace. All arrogant people and all evildoers will be ⌞like⌟ straw. The day that is coming will burn them up completely,” says the Lord of Armies. “It won’t leave a single root or branch.
• Matthew 3:12His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clean up his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into a barn, but he will burn the husks in a fire that can never be put out.”
• Hebrews 12:29After all, our God is a destructive fire.

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