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.

EZEKIEL 15:6KJV
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Ezekiel 15:6 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 15:6 mean?

Ezekiel 15:6 says that just as a vine from the forest is only good for burning as fuel, so God will hand over the people living in Jerusalem to destruction. The verse uses the image of a useless vine to show that the inhabitants of Jerusalem will face judgment because they have not fulfilled their purpose.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Jerusalem during a time when they had turned away from Him. The comparison to a "vine tree among the trees of the forest" highlights that, unlike other trees which might have some use even after being cut down, the vine is only fit to be burned. This image is meant to warn Jerusalem that, because of their unfaithfulness, they will be given over to consequences just as the vine is given to the fire.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 15:6

  • "vine" (גֶּפֶן, gephen): This word refers to a grapevine, which in ancient Israel was valued for its fruit but not for its wood. The comparison emphasizes how, without fruit, the vine is considered worthless.
  • "given" and "give" (נָתַן, natan): This word appears twice, first for giving the vine to the fire and then for giving the inhabitants of Jerusalem to judgment. The repetition underlines that what happens to the vine is a deliberate act, just as God's judgment on Jerusalem is intentional.
  • "fire" (אֵשׁ, esh) and "fuel" (אָכְלָה, okhlah): The use of both words stresses that the only purpose left for the vine—and, by analogy, for the people—is to be consumed, not to be preserved or used for anything constructive.

Why Ezekiel 15:6 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that God's judgment was random or unfair; instead, it shows that the people of Jerusalem, like the fruitless vine, had lost their intended purpose.
  • The comparison to the vine connects to a larger biblical theme where Israel is often pictured as God's vineyard, meant to bear good fruit.
  • Ezekiel 15:6 sets the stage for the following verses, which continue to explain the seriousness of Jerusalem's situation and the certainty of coming judgment.

Where else these words appear

“fuel” Hebrew H402 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
  • Leviticus 11:39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
  • Ezekiel 29:5 And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

“vine” Hebrew H1612 · used in 53 verses

  • Genesis 40:9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
  • Psalms 105:33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.
  • Jeremiah 48:32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

“forest” Hebrew H3293 · used in 58 verses

  • Deuteronomy 19:5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
  • Psalms 83:14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
  • Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.