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!: Behold renders the same Hebrew term as “Lo” in the previous verse (see the comments there). This verse brings the discussion about the uselessness of the vine wood to a climax. If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, that is, before it was put into the fire, it will be even more useless after it has been burnt, even though it is not totally burnt away to ashes. Those languages that have difficulty with the expression how much less may be able to use Contemporary English Version as a model for this verse, which reads “The wood is useless before it is burned, and afterwards, it is completely worthless.” Another possible model is:

• The wood is useless before it goes in the fire. It is even more useless after the fire has burned part of it.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .