“Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest?
Parallel translations
- WEB “Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which is among the trees of the forest?
- KJV Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
- NKJV “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?
- NASB “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any wood of a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
- NLT “Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God asks what makes vine wood superior to any forest tree. The answer: nothing, apart from its fruit.
Overview
A vine is prized only for its grapes, not its timber. As wood it is weak, crooked, and worthless. Israel was chosen not for inherent greatness but to bear fruit for God (Isaiah 5:1-7); a fruitless vine has no other value. The question exposes how empty privilege becomes when its purpose is abandoned.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Hos 10:1Israel 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.
- Ps 80:8–16You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it.
- Isa 5:1–7I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
- Song 8:11–12Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He leased it to the tenants. For its fruit, each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver.
- Jer 2:21I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?
- Song 7:12Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.
- Song 6:11I went down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.
- Song 2:15Catch for us the foxes—the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—for our vineyards are in bloom.
- Luke 20:9–16Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time.
- John 15:1–6“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.
- Mark 12:1–9Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
- Matt 21:33–41Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
- Mic 3:12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.
- Deut 32:32–33But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.
- Isa 44:23Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and revealed His glory in Israel.
- Song 2:13The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come away, my darling; come away with me, my beautiful one.”
- Zech 11:2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 15:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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