1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 "Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?"
What good is a vine?
3 "Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?"
You can’t build anything out of vine wood, nor can you carve hangers or anything else.
4 "Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?"
Firewood is about all you can use dead vines for. I wouldn’t think they would provide very much heat at that.
5 "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 has devoured it, and it is burned?"
If it isn’t good for anything before it’s burned, it’s even more worthless afterwards.
6 "Therefore thus says the Lord God; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
That’s how God feels about Jerusalem.
7 "And I will set My face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them.
8 "And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, says the Lord God."
There simply was no escape from God when He punished them.