What does the wood of the vine symbolize in Ezekiel 15:3?

The Immediate Picture in Ezekiel 15:3

“Can wood be taken from it to make anything? Or can men fashion a peg from it on which to hang a vessel?”

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Characteristics of Vine Wood

- Thin, twisting, and soft

- Cannot support weight or be carved into furniture

- Only valued for its fruit; without fruit it is useless and soon burned

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What the Vine Wood Symbolizes

- The people of Jerusalem and Judah, chosen to bear the “fruit” of righteousness

- A nation specially planted by God yet refusing to produce godly fruit (Psalm 80:8–16; Isaiah 5:1–7; Hosea 10:1)

- Once fruitless, they possess no inherent strength or worth, just as vine wood cannot be shaped into anything useful

- Fit only for the fire of judgment, a literal warning of the Babylonian conquest that soon followed (Ezekiel 15:6–8)

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Supporting Parallels

- Isaiah 5:4 “Why, when I expected good grapes, did it yield only bad?”

- Jeremiah 2:21 “I planted you as a choice vine… how then have you turned degenerate?”

- John 15:6 “If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a branch and withers… and they burn them.”

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Core Lesson

The vine wood in Ezekiel 15:3 pictures a covenant people whose worth lies in fruitful obedience; without it they are as worthless as a dried grapevine, ready for the flames of divine judgment.