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Thursday, May 22nd, 2025
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Ezekiel 15:5

Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred!”

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezekiel;   Vine;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ezekiel;   Vine, Vineyard;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fuel;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!
King James Version
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
English Standard Version
Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything!
New American Standard Bible
"Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything!
New Century Version
When the vine was whole, it couldn't be made into anything. When the fire has burned it completely, it certainly cannot be made into anything."
Amplified Bible
"Notice this, even when it was complete, it was not useful and was not made into anything. How much less, after the fire has burned [part of] it and [the remainder of] it is charred, can it still be made into anything?
World English Bible
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Behold, when it was whole, it was meete for no worke: how much lesse shall it bee meete for any worke, when the fire hath consumed it, and it is burnt?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything!
Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, while it is intact, it is not made into anything. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it still be made into anything!
Berean Standard Bible
Even when it was whole, it could not be made useful. How much less can it ever be useful when the fire has consumed and charred it!
Contemporary English Version
The wood is useless before it is burned, and afterwards, it is completely worthless.
Complete Jewish Bible
When it was whole, it was good for nothing; so how much less, when the fire has consumed it, and it is singed, will it be useful for making something!
Darby Translation
Behold, when it was whole, it was used for no work; how much less when the fire hath consumed it, and it is burned, should it yet be used for any work?
Easy-to-Read Version
If you cannot make anything from that wood before it is burned, you surely cannot make anything from that wood after it is burned!
George Lamsa Translation
Behold, when it was whole, it was not useful for implements; how much less shall it be useful when the fire has devoured it and it is destroyed?
Good News Translation
It was useless even before it was burned. Now that the fire has burned it and charred it, it is even more useless."
Lexham English Bible
Look! When it is in perfect condition, it will not be used for anything, how much less when the fire has consumed it and it is charred; and then can it be used again for anything?
Literal Translation
Behold, when it was whole it was not made for work. How much less when the fire has devoured it, and it is charred! Shall it yet be made to work?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Seinge then, that it was mete for no worke, beinge whole: moch lesse maye there eny thinge be made of it, when the fyre hath consumed and brent it.
American Standard Version
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!
Bible in Basic English
Truly, before it was cut down, it was not used for any purpose: how much less, when the fire has made a meal of it and it is burned, will it be made into anything?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work; how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is singed, shall it yet be meet for any work?
King James Version (1611)
Behold, when it was whole it was meete for no worke: how much lesse shall it be meete yet for any worke, when the fire hath deuoured it, and it is burned?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Seeing then that it was meete for no worke beyng whole, muche lesse may there any thing be made of it when the fire hath consumed and brent it.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Not even while it is yet whole will it be useful for any work: if the fire shall have utterly consumed it, will it still be fit for work?
English Revised Version
Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Yhe, whanne it was hool, it was not couenable to werk; hou myche more whanne fier hath deuourid, and hath brent it, no thing of werk schal be maad therof?
Update Bible Version
Look, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be meet for any work!
Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, when it was whole, it was fit for no work: how much less then shall it be fit for [any] work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
New English Translation
Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred?
New King James Version
Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?
New Living Translation
Vines are useless both before and after being put into the fire!
New Life Bible
See, if it is not used for anything while it is whole, how much less can it ever be used for anything when the fire has burned it up and it has turned black!
New Revised Standard
When it was whole it was used for nothing; how much less—when the fire has consumed it, and it is charred— can it ever be used for anything!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lo! when it was yet whole, it could not be made into any work, - how much less when !the fire hath devoured it. and it is charred, can it still be made into any work?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Even when it was whole it was not fit for work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured and consumed it, shall any work be made of it?
Revised Standard Version
Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing; how much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything!
Young's Literal Translation
Lo, in its being perfect it is not used for work, How much less, when fire hath eaten of it, And it is scorched, Hath it been used yet for work?
THE MESSAGE
"Hardly. When it was whole it wasn't good for anything. Half-burned is no improvement. What's it good for?

Contextual Overview

1Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood? 3Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? 4In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything? 5Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred!”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 as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem. 7I will turn against them. They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them. And you will know that I am the Lord when I turn against them. 8I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

meet: Heb. made fit, Jeremiah 3:16, *marg.

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will make you into a great nation,I will bless you,I will make your name great,and you will be a blessing.
Genesis 13:16
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted.
Genesis 15:7
He also said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Genesis 15:8
But he said, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”
Genesis 16:10
The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count.”
Genesis 22:17
I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies.
Genesis 26:4
I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,
Genesis 28:14
Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Exodus 32:13
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—you swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’”
Deuteronomy 1:10
The Lord your God has so multiplied you that today you are as numerous as the stars of the sky.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, when it was whole it was meet for no work,.... Before it was cut into pieces, and east into the fire, it was not fit to make so much as a pin of to hang anything on; so Israel, when all together, before the ten tribes were carried captive, or the Jews before the captivity of Jeconiah, were useless and unfruitful, and to every good work reprobate:

how much less shall it be meet yet for [any] work when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? as its wood is good for nothing before it is burned, its ashes are useless after.


 
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