Yechezkel 15 | Yechezkel’s Parable of the Grapevine

Chapter 15 is a very short chapter containing a clear parable and its interpretation. The chapter has a sophisticated poetic structure, see the attached article by A. Rivlin analyzing the poetic elements of the passage. The parable is divided into two sections (verses 2-3 and 4-5) and is characterized by a series of rhetorical questions. It speaks of a grapevine, which is inherently weak compared to the branches of other trees. Through rhetorical questioning, the passage highlights the inability of a grapevine to serve any practical purpose. The second part introduces an additional factor that further diminishes the vine’s utility: it has been burned from within. If it was already weak, its having been burned makes it even more useless.

The parable’s interpretation is much shorter than the parable itself, and instead of rhetorical questions, it is filled primarily with exclamatory statements: “Like the grapevine among the trees of the forest, which I have given as fuel to fire, so have I given over the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will fix My face against them; they have escaped from fire, but fire will consume them” (15:6-7). Just as the grapevine was consumed by fire, so too will Jerusalem be burned. The asymmetry between the interpretation and the parable raises several points. First, the shift from rhetorical questions to exclamatory statements appears intentional, emphasizing the definitive nature of Jerusalem’s fate. The interpretation’s briefness further reinforces its urgency. However, the interpretation leaves some gaps compared to the parable:

1. The first gap, noted by Rivlin in his article, is the repeated focus in the parable on the  purpose: “Is it then fit for use?” The central question posed (to which the answer is negative) is whether the vine can serve a practical function. However, in the interpretation, regarding Jerusalem, there is no equivalent statement defining what function Jerusalem is now incapable of fulfilling. Instead, the prophecy simply states that Jerusalem will burn. Rivlin suggests that the implied parallel should be clear to the listeners: Just as the parable asks “Is it then fit for use?” regarding the vine, so too should one ask “Is it fit for kingship?” regarding the kingdom of Yehuda in Jerusalem.
2. The parable describes two stages: the inherent weakness of the grapevine and its further degradation after being burned. What is the significance of these two stages? It seems that the prophecy is saying that Jerusalem was weak to begin with and has already suffered an initial stage of destruction. As Rav Yosef Kara explains on verse 4: “Its two ends were consumed by fire - refers to the two exiles that have already taken place, the exile of Yehoyakim and the exile of Yekhonya.”