Ezekiel 15:2

Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? WHAT IS THE VINE TREE MORE THAN ANY TREE? What has the vine-wood to make it preeminent above other forest-wood? Nothing. Nay, the reverse. Other trees yield useful timber, but vine-wood is soft, brittle, crooked, and seldom large. WILL MEN TAKE A PIN OF IT TO HANG ANY VESSEL THEREON? Not so much as a "pin" (the large wooden peg used inside houses in the East to hang household articles on) can be made of it (). Its sole excellency is that it should bear fruit: when it does not bear fruit it is not only not better, but inferior to other trees. So if God's people lose their distinctive excellency by not bearing fruits of righteousness, they are more unprofitable than the worldly ...

Verse Ezekiel 15:2. _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. Out of it who can even make a _pin_ to drive into a mud wall, or _hang any vessel on_? A vine would never be cultivated for the sake of its _wood_; it is really _worthless_ but as it bears _fruit_. What is _Israel_? Good for nothing, but as God influenced them to bring forth fruit to his glory. But now that they have ceased to be _fruitful_, they are...

THE VINE ... - The image is grounded on a well-known figure Psalms 80:8; Isaiah 5. The comparison is not between the vine and other trees, but between the wood of the vine and the wood of other trees....

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 15:2 WHAT IS THE VINE TREE, etc.? The prophet's mind had apparently been dwelling, after the close of his previous utterance, on the imagery of earlier writers, in which Israel had appeared as the vine of Jehovah (Genesis 49:22; Psalms 80:9; Hosea 10:1; Isaiah 5:1.; Deuteronomy 32:32; Jeremiah 2:21), and to which

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. The people of the Jews are often compared to a vine, who, while they brought forth good fruit, were in esteem; but, when they became like an empty and fruitless vine, were rejected as good for nothing, Psalms 80:8; they were originally no better than others; what they had were owing to the grace and goodness of God; and when they degenerated, they were the worst of all people: [OR THAN] A BRANCH WHICH IS AMONG THE TREES OF THE FOREST? a vine tree that bears fruit is better than a tree of the forest, or than a branch of one that is

Ezekiel 15:1. This is the first of three parables to demonstrate still further the delusion of their false hope that deliverance would come. The vine is a type of Israel Psalms 80:8; Isaiah 5:1, and Hosea 10:1. The vine is only good for one thing, which is the bearing of fruit; apart from this it is worthless. The wood cannot be used for anything whatever. It is good for nothing but burning. Nebuchadnezzar carried out this sentence 2 Kings 25:9. It reminds us also of the parable of the vine our Lord spoke, in which, speaking of the unfruitful branch, He said, “Men gath

EZEKIEL 15. THE USELESS VINE (JERUSALEM) IS DOOMED TO DESTRUCTION. We have seen some of the reasons why the illusion of the inviolability of Jerusalem was so hard to slay (chs. 12f.). Here we meet with another. The people believed themselves to be the darlings of Yahweh. Had not the great Isaiah (ch. 5) compared them to a vine, which had enjoyed His special nurture and care? Good, says Ezekiel, but remember how useless the vine is; why you cannot even make a peg out of its wood. While, as for the fruit of this particular vine he passes over this in ominous silence it has either none to show, or the foul fruit (of injustice and oppression) so stingingly denounced by Isaiah (Isaiah 5:4; Isaiah 5:7). Besides, it has already been burned at both ends an allusion to the fall of Israel in 721 B.C. and the first deportation of

SON OF MAN. See note on Ezekiel 2:1. THAN A. Supply the Ellipsis [What is. vine] branch" IS. hath come to be....

or than _a branch_ Perhaps: the vine-branch which is, the words taking up "the vine tree" of previous clause. Owing to the verb the natural sense is: _what shall be_made of _the wood of the vine among all wood, the vine branch_that is among the trees of the forest? Cf. Ezekiel 15:3. With the comparative sense the accents should be disregarded: _what is the wood of the vine more than any wood of the branch_which is &c. On Israel as the vine cf. Genesis 49:22; Isaiah 5:1; Deuteronomy 32:32; Jeremiah 2:21;...

WHAT IS THE VINE-TREE— Houbigant renders it, _What hath the wood of the vine above other branching woods which are amid the trees of the wood?_ The comparison is here made between the trees of the forest and the wild vine; not the fruitful and generous vine, as appears from the words, _among the trees of the forest;_ for this vine then produced nothing but sour and bitter grapes: so that Israel could no longer glory in this, that God had frequently called them _his vine._ It is upon this point, says Houbigant, that the present allegory wholly turns. Infidels object, that they cannot understand why God should prefer so perverse and rebellious a people to all others. One reason is, that it was for the sake of their forefathers, and to fulfil the promise made to the patriarchs; but others are not wanting, and those very agreeable to the ideas that we have of infinite wisdom; such, for insta...