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, how is the wood of the vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest? 3Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel? If it has been put into the fire for fuel, and the fire has consumed both of its ends and its middle part has been charred, is it then useful for anything? 5Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything! 6Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘As 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 15:4 word by word

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

• Ifהִנֵּהhinnêh · beholdH2009
• it has been putנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• for fuelאׇכְלָה'ôklâh · foodH402
• has consumedאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• bothשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• of its endsקָצָהqâtsâh · endH7098
• and its middleתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• has beenחָרַרchârar · to scorchH2787
• usefulצָלֵחַtsâlach tsâlêach · to prosperH6743
• anythingמְלָאכָהmelâ'kâh · workH4399

Cross-references for Ezekiel 15:4

• Psalms 80:16It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
• Isaiah 27:11When its limbs are dry, they are broken off; Women come and make a fire with them, For they are not a people of discernment, Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them. And their Creator will not be gracious to them.
• John 15:6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
• Hebrews 6:8but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
• Isaiah 1:31The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together And there will be none to quench them.
• Amos 4:11“I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
• Malachi 4:1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
• Matthew 3:12His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
• Hebrews 12:29for our God is a consuming 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