Jeremiah 18:4

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
vessel	הַכְּלִ֗י ha.ke.Li	H3627	something prepared · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
made	עֹשֶׂ֛ה 'o.Seh	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
clay	בַּחֹ֖מֶר ba.Cho.mer	H2563	properly · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
marred	וְנִשְׁחַ֣ת ve.nish.Chat	H7843	to decay · conjunction + verb, niphal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
hand	בְּיַ֣ד be.Yad	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
potter	הַיּוֹצֵ֑ר hai.yo.Tzer	H3335	to mould into a form · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
made	וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֙הוּ֙ vai.ya.'a.Se.hu	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
again	וְשָׁ֗ב ve.Shav	H7725	to turn back (hence · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
another	אַחֵ֔ר 'a.Cher	H312	properly · adjective, masculine singular absolute
vessel	כְּלִ֣י ke.Li	H3627	something prepared · noun, common masculine singular absolute
seemed	בְּעֵינֵ֥י be.'ei.Nei	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
good	יָשַׁ֛ר ya.Shar	H3474	to be straight or even · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
potter	הַיּוֹצֵ֖ר hai.yo.Tzer	H3335	to mould into a form · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
make	לַעֲשֽׂוֹת la.'a.Sot	H6213	to do or make · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Romans 9:20-23 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Jeremiah 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand,…
Isaiah 45:9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashionet…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 18:1-10

The prophet is here sent to the potter's house (he knew where to find it), not to preach a sermon as before to the gates of Jerusalem, but to prepare a sermon, or rather to receive it ready prepared. Those needed not to study their sermons that had them, as he had this, by immediate inspiration. "Go to the potter's house, and observe how he manages his work, and there I will cause thee, by silent whispers, to hear my words. There thou shalt receive a message, to be delivered to the people." Note, Those that would know God's mind must observe his appointments, and attend where they may hear his words. The prophet was never disobedient to the heavenly vision, and therefore went to the potter's…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Jeremiah 18:4

marred--spoiled. "Of clay" is the true reading, which was corrupted into "as clay" (Margin), through the similarity of the two Hebrew letters, and from Jer 18:6, "as the clay."

John Gill on Jeremiah 18:4

And the vessel that he made of clay,.... Which is the matter the vessel is made of: was marred in the hand of the potter; while he was working it; either it fell, as the Septuagint version renders it, out of his hands, or from the beam on which it was laid; or was spoiled by some means or other, so that it was not fit for the purpose he first intended it: or the words should be read, according to some copies, "and the vessel was marred which he made, as clay in the hand of the potter" (r); while it was clay; or moist, as Jarchi interprets it; and while it was in his hands, forming and fashioning it: so he made it again another vessel; put it into another form and shape it would better serv…

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John Calvin on Jeremiah 18:1-6

Jeremiah 18:1-6 1. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 1. Sermo qui fait ad Jeremiam a Jehova, dicendo, 2. Arise, and go down to the potter's house; and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 2. Surge, et descende in domum figuli, et faciam audire [191] te verba mea. 3. Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 3. Et descendi in domum figuli, et ecce ipse faciens opus super lapide (super typo; alii vertunt, super rotam:) 4. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it 4. Et corruptum fuit vas, quod ipse faciebat ex…

The Church Fathers

By his passion, therefore, Christ made perfect that human flesh that had been brought down to death by the first man's sin and restored it by the power of his resurrection. Sitting on God's right hand, he placed it in the highest heavens. In view of this, the apostle says, "Who has raised us up together and has made us sit together in the heavenly places." It was he, you see, who was the potter mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah: "The vessel that had fallen from his hand and was broken, he again raised up with his hands and formed anew, as it seemed good in his eyes." So it seemed good to him to raise the mortal and corruptible body he had assumed from the rocky tomb, and, rendering it immortal and incorruptible, to place it no longer in an earthly environment but in heaven at his Father's right hand.
— Tyrannius Rufinus, COMMENTARY ON THE APOSTLES' CREED 29

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Clay — This word is used of sediment found in pits or in streets (Isa. 57:20; Jer. 38:60), of dust mixed with spittle (John 9:6), and of potter’s clay (Isa. 41:25; Nah. 3:14; Jer. 18:1-6; Rom. 9:21). Clay…
Handicraft — (Acts 18:3; 19:25; Revelation 18:22) A trade was taught to ail the Jewish boys as a necessary part of their education. Even the greatest rabbis maintained themselves by trades (Delitzsch). Says Rabbi…
Pottery · Vessels ma — Vessels ma

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Jeremiah 18:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 18:1-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Jeremiah 18:4

John Gill on Jeremiah 18:4

John Calvin on Jeremiah 18:1-6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Jeremiah 18:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 18:1-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Jeremiah 18:4

John Gill on Jeremiah 18:4

John Calvin on Jeremiah 18:1-6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Jeremiah 18:2-5

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Jeremiah 18:1-11

Rashi on Jeremiah 18:4