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Ezekiel 15:2

in Ezekiel 15

“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest?

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which is among the trees of the forest?

KJV

Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

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This verse in Ezekiel 15

Commentary

4 notes on this verse
Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree,.... Or, "the wood of the vine than any wood" (b); 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.

This site's exposition

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

on Ezekiel 15:1-3

The parable opens with a question that already carries its own answer: the vine is not valued for its wood, unlike forest trees which yield beams or pins to hang a vessel on, because a vine's whole worth is in its fruit. Henry reads the comparison as deliberately unflattering to a nation that prided itself on being God's own planting, since a fruitless vine has less practical use than a common forest branch. Gill notes the question form forces the hearer to supply the humbling answer before the application ever arrives.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

The vine-tree - Israel is here compared to a vine, which, when fruitless, is utterly unprofitable. This the prophet minds them of to humble them, and awaken them to fruitfulness. A branch - One branch of a tree in the forest is of more use than the whole vine- tree is, except for its fruit.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

What is the vine tree more than any tree - It is certain that the vine is esteemed only on account of its fruit. In some countries, it is true, it grows to a considerable size and thickness: but, even then, it is not of a sufficient density to work into furniture. But whatever may be said of the stock of the vine, it is the branch that the prophet speaks of here; and I scarcely know the branch of any tree in the forest more useless than is the branch of the vine.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

what will become of the vine tree out of all [other] trees How will its end be different from that of all other trees?
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Ezekiel 15:2:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

13 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • בֶּן־O son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • אָדָ֕םhumankind

    ʾadamH120 →551 times

  • מַה־what?

    mah-H4100 →752 times

  • יִּֽהְיֶ֥הis it

    yihyehH1961 →3559 times

  • עֵץ־[the] wood of

    ʾetz-H6086 →328 times

  • הַגֶּ֖פֶןthe vine

    hagefenH1612 →55 times

  • מִכָּל־more than any

    mikolH3605 →5413 times

  • עֵ֑ץtree

    ʾetzH6086 →328 times

  • הַזְּמוֹרָ֕הthe vine branch

    hazemorahH2156 →

  • אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • הָיָ֖הit is

    hayahH1961 →3559 times

  • בַּעֲצֵ֥יamong [the] trees of

    baatzeiH6086 →328 times

  • הַיָּֽעַר׃the forest

    haiyaarH3293 →59 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Hosea 10:1Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.4 worksIsaiah 5:1–7I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.3 worksPsalms 80:8–16You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it.3 worksSong of Solomon 7:12Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.2 worksLuke 20:9–16Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time.2 worksSong of Solomon 8:11–12Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He leased it to the tenants. For its fruit, each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver.2 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
John 15:1–6“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.2 worksSong of Solomon 2:15Catch for us the foxes—the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—for our vineyards are in bloom.2 worksSong of Solomon 6:11I went down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.2 worksJeremiah 2:21I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?2 worksEzekiel 15:6Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the people of Jerusalem.2 worksEzekiel 2:1“Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”2 worksMatthew 21:33–41Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.1 worksSong of Solomon 2:13The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come away, my darling; come away with me, my beautiful one.”1 worksDeuteronomy 32:32–33But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.1 worksIsaiah 44:23Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and revealed His glory in Israel.1 worksMark 12:1–9Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.1 worksZechariah 11:2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Hosea 10:1

    Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.

    it leads to

    • Hosea 8:11

      Though Ephraim multiplied the altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning.

    • Isaiah 5:1–7

      I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.

    • Hosea 12:11

      Is there iniquity in Gilead? They will surely come to nothing. Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones in the furrows of the field.

    • Leviticus 26:1

      “You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am…

    • Philippians 2:21

      For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

  • Through

    Song of Solomon 7:12

    Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.

    it leads to

    • Song of Solomon 6:11

      I went down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.

    • Song of Solomon 7:6

      How fair and pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!

    • 1 Thessalonians 3:5–6

      For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and caused our labor to be in…

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About Ezekiel

The Prophet Ezekiel — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
The Prophet Ezekiel — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Ezekiel: the study guide →Read Ezekiel 15 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

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