Ezekiel 15:3
New International Version
Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on?

New Living Translation
Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans?

English Standard Version
Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take a peg from it to hang any vessel on it?

Berean Standard Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils?

King James Bible
Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

New King James Version
Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on?

New American Standard Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can even a peg be taken from it on which to hang any utensil?

NASB 1995
“Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel?

NASB 1977
“Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel?

Legacy Standard Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel?

Amplified Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make any object? Or can men take a peg from it on which to hang any vessel?

Christian Standard Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on?

American Standard Version
Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

Contemporary English Version
because the wood of a grapevine can't be used to make anything, not even a small peg to hang things on.

English Revised Version
Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do people use it to make something? Do they make a peg from it to hang things on?

Good News Translation
Can you use it to make anything? Can you even make a peg out of it to hang things on?

International Standard Version
Is wood ever taken from it to make anything practical? Can it even be made into a peg to hang something on?

Majority Standard Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils?

NET Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on?

New Heart English Bible
Shall wood be taken of it to make any work? Or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall wood be taken of it to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel upon it?

World English Bible
Will wood be taken of it to make anything? Will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel on it?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Is wood taken from it to use for work? Do they take a pin of it to hang any vessel on it?

Young's Literal Translation
Is wood taken from it to use for work? Do they take of it a pin to hang any vessel on it?

Smith's Literal Translation
Shall wood be taken from it to do for work? or will they take from it a peg to hang upon it any vessel?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall wood be taken of if, to do any work, or shall a pin be made of it for any vessel to hang thereon?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Can any wood be taken from it, so that it may be made into a work, or formed into a peg so as to hang some kind of vessel upon it?

New American Bible
Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Can someone make even a peg out of it on which to hang a vessel?

New Revised Standard Version
Is wood taken from it to make anything? Does one take a peg from it on which to hang any object?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Shall wood be taken from the vine to make anything from it? Or do men take a peg from it to hang vessels on it?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Is wood taken from it to make a work from it, or do they take a peg from it to hang vessels on it?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Will they take wood of it to make it fit for work? will they take of it a peg to hang any vessel upon it?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jerusalem the Useless Vine
2“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest? 3Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils? 4No, it is cast into the fire for fuel. The fire devours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?…

Cross References
John 15:5-6
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. / If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

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. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ...

Luke 13:6-9
Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. / So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ / ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ...

Romans 11:17-21
Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, / do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. / You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ...

Psalm 80:8-16
You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it. / You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. / The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. ...

Jeremiah 2:21
I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?

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.

John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

Matthew 21:19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

Isaiah 27:11
When its limbs are dry, they are broken off. Women come and use them for kindling; for this is a people without understanding. Therefore their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.

Hebrews 6:7-8
For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God. / But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it will be burned.

Deuteronomy 32:32-33
But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter. / Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.

2 Kings 19:30-31
And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above. / For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

Mark 11:12-14
The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry. / Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. / Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.


Treasury of Scripture

Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

Jeremiah 24:8
And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:

Matthew 5:13
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Mark 9:50
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

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Ezekiel 15
1. By the unfitness of the vine branch for any work
6. is shown the rejection of Jerusalem














Is wood ever taken from it
The phrase "Is wood ever taken from it" refers to the vine wood, which is the subject of this metaphor. In Hebrew, the word for wood is "עֵץ" (etz), which generally signifies timber or a tree. In the context of Ezekiel, the vine wood symbolizes the people of Jerusalem. Unlike the sturdy wood of a cedar or oak, vine wood is weak and not suitable for construction or crafting. This imagery emphasizes the spiritual barrenness and lack of utility of the people when they are not fulfilling their covenantal purpose with God. Historically, Israel was chosen to be a light to the nations, but in their disobedience, they became like vine wood—unfit for the purpose God intended.

to make something useful?
The phrase "to make something useful" underscores the expectation of productivity and purpose. The Hebrew root "עָשָׂה" (asah) means to do, make, or accomplish. This reflects God's desire for His people to be fruitful and to fulfill their divine calling. In a broader biblical context, believers are called to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8) and to live lives that reflect God's glory. The rhetorical question implies that the vine wood, representing the people, fails to meet this standard of usefulness due to their spiritual infidelity.

Or do they make a peg from it
The word "peg" in Hebrew is "יָתֵד" (yated), which refers to a small stake or pin used to secure something. In ancient times, pegs were essential for various purposes, such as securing tents or hanging items. The rhetorical question suggests that even for such a simple and minor use, vine wood is inadequate. This highlights the complete inadequacy of the people of Jerusalem in their current state. Spiritually, it serves as a warning that without alignment with God's will, even the simplest tasks cannot be accomplished.

to hang any vessel on?
The phrase "to hang any vessel on" uses the imagery of a vessel, which in Hebrew is "כְּלִי" (keli), meaning a container or implement. Vessels in biblical times were used for carrying water, oil, or other essentials, symbolizing the capacity to hold and deliver life-sustaining resources. The inability to hang a vessel on vine wood signifies the failure to support or sustain life, both physically and spiritually. In a scriptural context, this serves as a metaphor for the people's failure to uphold and convey the life-giving truth of God's word. It is a call to repentance and a return to their intended purpose as vessels of God's grace and truth.

Verse 3. - Shall wood be taken thereof, etc.? As a timber tree, then, the vine was confessedly valueless. No carpenter would use it, even for the peg upon which men hang their cups, and which had become, as in Isaiah 22:23, the symbol of political stability (comp. also Zechariah 10:4). For the unfruitful vine branch these remained the doom of being cast into the fire (John 15:6). What was its worth when it was half burned at either end and in the middle? What would Israel be fit for when it had been laid low by the "fire" of God's judgment? Probably the vivid picture of the charred branch points to the successive judgments which had fallen first on the ten tribes, then on Judah, and lastly on Jerusalem itself. The word "trespass" may refer either to the general guilt of the people, or to the last crowning crime of Zedekiah's rebellion. I rather incline to the latter, the noun being in the singular.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Can wood
עֵ֔ץ (‘êṣ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

be taken
הֲיֻקַּ֤ח (hă·yuq·qaḥ)
Verb - QalPass - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

from it
מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ (mim·men·nū)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

to make
לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

something useful?
לִמְלָאכָ֑ה (lim·lā·ḵāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4399: Deputyship, ministry, employment, work, property

Or
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

can one
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

make
יִקְח֤וּ (yiq·ḥū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

from it
מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ (mim·men·nū)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

a peg
יָתֵ֔ד (yā·ṯêḏ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3489: A peg, pin

on which
עָלָ֖יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

to hang
לִתְל֥וֹת (liṯ·lō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8518: To suspend

utensils?
כֶּֽלִי׃ (ke·lî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3627: Something prepared, any apparatus


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OT Prophets: Ezekiel 15:3 Shall wood be taken of it (Ezek. Eze Ezk)
Ezekiel 15:2
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