Ezekiel 15:4

Eze 15:4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for [any] work?

Ver. 4. Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel.] But then it must be taken before it be overly dry; and so Cornelius A Lapide testifieth that they burn little else in Italy but fagots made of vine branches. See Joh 15:6. {See Trapp on "Joh 15:6"}

The midst of it is burned.] Ustulatum; scorched and seared, so that it is altogether unuseful, and is therefore cast again into the fire, out of which, for some other purpose, it had been pulled. Woe to apostates; the hottest fire in hell abideth them.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

cast into . . . fire-- (Joh 15:6).

both the ends--the north kingdom having been already overturned by Assyria under Tiglath-pileser; the south being pressed on by Egypt (Kg2 23:29-35).

midst of it is burned--rather, "is on flame"; namely, Jerusalem, which had now caught the flame by the attack of Nebuchadnezzar.

Is it meet for any work--"it," that is, the scorched part still remaining.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. The fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned.] Judea is like a vine branch thrown into the fire, which seizes on both the ends, and scorches the middle: so both the extremities of the land is wasted; and the middle, Jerusalem, is now threatened with a siege, and by and by will be totally destroyed.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. A hypothetical sentence: Behold, when it hath been cast into the fire for fuel, when the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is charred, will it be meet for any work? This part of the similitude is borrowed from the actual instance of Israel. As it is Jerusalem, including Judah, that is compared to the vine, the burning of the ends and scorching of the middle probably refers to the calamities sustained by that kingdom, such as the captivity under Jehoiachin and other severe reverses.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Behold, it is cast into the fire - The wood is in itself useless for any purpose; but what if it have been cast into the fire, and half burned, what of it then?

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ashes. It is not even solid enough for fuel. (Calmet) --- When a faggot is consumed in the middle, the ends are also put into the fire; so not one shall escape who dies out of the Church. (Worthington) --- The wicked Jews shall surely suffer, ver. 6. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

When for its barrenness it is cut down, it is fit only to be burnt. Nor is it a choice fuel neither, a little branch of a tree of the forest is better, and affords more fuel.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

For fuel - When for its barrenness it is cut down, it is fit only to burn.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Behold, [if] it were given to the fire to be consumed Adevorer in Old French, to be devoured, consumed. Behold I asked you about a whole one, which is not fit for anything. Now I shall add more to the question: Behold if they put a branch of it into the fire, and the fire consumed it at its two ends of its outer surface until its inside became charred...

were charred Heb. נָחָר, blackened from the fire, brouir in French, to blacken, to scorch. נָחָר derives from the same form found in (Job 30:30): “and my bones dried out (חָרָה) from the heat.” Some translate this as e(s)sart in Old French, calcined, burnt to ashes, as [its sense] in Hosea (8:5) and also in (Job 19:11): “He has kindled (וַיַחַר) His wrath against me.” Menachem (p. 93) [however] related it to “my bones dried out.” is it fit [Is it] still fit for work?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.