Jeremiah 18 12

Jeremiah 18:12 kjv

And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

Jeremiah 18:12 nkjv

And they said, "That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart."

Jeremiah 18:12 niv

But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.'?"

Jeremiah 18:12 esv

"But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'

Jeremiah 18:12 nlt

But the people replied, "Don't waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires."

Jeremiah 18 verses

Jeremiah 18 12 Meaning

Jeremiah 18:12 conveys the people of Judah's resolute rejection of God's call to repentance and his conditional mercy, declared through Jeremiah and symbolized by the potter's shaping of clay. Their declaration, "There is no hope," signifies not a cry of despair over their sin, but a defiant refusal to change their ways. They firmly commit to following their own rebellious intentions and the wicked desires of their hearts, thereby choosing a path of self-will and disobedience rather than submitting to God's will. This declaration seals their fate under God's righteous judgment.

Jeremiah 18 12 Context

Jeremiah 18:12 is a direct response from the people of Judah to God's object lesson given to Jeremiah in the potter's house (Jer 18:1-11). The prophet is sent to observe a potter working with clay. When the vessel is marred, the potter reshapes it into another vessel as he pleases. God then uses this analogy to declare His sovereign right over nations. He states that if a nation, which He has decreed judgment upon, repents, He will relent. Conversely, if a nation He promised blessings to turns to evil, He will withhold those blessings. Jeremiah is specifically instructed to tell the house of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to "return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good" (Jer 18:11). Verse 12 is the people's hard-hearted, cynical, and utterly defiant reply to this gracious invitation to repentance. Historically, Judah was facing imminent judgment from Babylon, yet repeatedly refused Jeremiah's urgent warnings to repent, believing they were invincible due to their covenant status or the presence of the Temple, making them resistant to God's conditional decrees.

Jeremiah 18 12 Word analysis

• And they said: (וַיֹּאמְרוּ, vayyomru) This phrase indicates a direct and often unanimous declaration. Here, it signifies the collective voice of the people, explicitly articulating their defiance.
• There is no hope: (נוֹאָשׁ, no'ash) From the root yā'ash (יאש), meaning "to give up hope," "to despair." In this context, it's not a plea of utter desperation stemming from recognition of their sin, but a stubborn assertion that changing their ways is pointless or impossible, therefore, they won't even try. It functions as an excuse for continued rebellion.
• but we will walk: (נֵלֵךְ, nelekh) "We will go" or "we will live." This emphasizes an intentional, continuous, and determined course of action. It's a statement of active choice for a particular lifestyle.
• after our own devices: (מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵינוּ, machashavotenu) From machashavah (מַחֲשָׁבָה), referring to thoughts, plans, designs, or intentions. In this negative context, it implies self-generated evil schemes, corrupt imaginations, or wicked purposes conceived in the mind, often contrasted with God's good plans.
• and we will every one do: Reinforces the individual and collective commitment to their chosen path. No one will deviate.
• the imagination: (שְׁרִרוּת, sherirut) Derived from sharar (שׁרר), meaning "firmness" or "hardness." It conveys obstinacy, stubbornness, persistent willfulness, and obduracy, often in the sense of hardened rebellion. It speaks to a deeply entrenched perverse inclination that is set against God's will.
• of his evil heart: (לִבּוֹ הָרָע, libo hara) "Heart" (lev, לב) in biblical thought encompasses the entire inner person: intellect, will, emotion, and conscience. "Evil" (ra', רע) denotes moral wickedness, corruption, or harm. This phrase signifies that the core being of each individual is fundamentally corrupt and driven by malicious intent, making them utterly resistant to good.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "There is no hope, but we will walk...": This phrase vividly captures their self-imposed futility and stubborn determination. They acknowledge the bleakness (or perhaps feign it) yet double down on their chosen evil path instead of repenting. The "no hope" is a rejection of God's possibility for change (verse 11).
• "our own devices...the imagination of his evil heart": These two phrases are highly synonymous, emphasizing self-will and internal depravity as the driving force behind their disobedience. "Devices" speaks to their active planning and scheming, while "imagination of his evil heart" speaks to the deep-seated, persistent wickedness and self-centered will residing in their core being. They refuse divine shaping because their inner inclinations are corrupt and unyielding.

Jeremiah 18 12 Bonus section

The people's declaration "There is no hope" acts as a polemic against God's capacity for conditional grace. They implicitly deny His ability or willingness to relent from promised judgment (as per Jer 18:8) even if they repented. Their statement implies a fixed fate, but it is a fate they are actively choosing by refusing the option of change. This response negates the entire message of hope and restoration offered by the Potter analogy. This self-inflicted spiritual blindness sets a clear boundary to God's patient wooing; when the heart is hardened to this extent, the path to judgment is inevitably taken. This rejection of hope through self-will is the antithesis of the New Testament message where true hope is found in repentance and faith in Christ. It also underscores that humanity's greatest chains are often forged by their own stubborn choices.

Jeremiah 18 12 Commentary

Jeremiah 18:12 is a poignant and tragic expression of Judah's unyielding spiritual condition. God, in His mercy, extended an invitation for them to repent, explicitly illustrating through the potter and clay that judgment was conditional on their response. Their answer, however, was a resolute "no." The statement "There is no hope" is not a cry for divine intervention but a declaration that their minds are made up; they will not, or cannot, change. It signifies a profound spiritual malaise where they choose self-direction over divine direction, clinging to their own corrupt thoughts and desires. This persistent willfulness, rooted in the "evil heart," is the very essence of biblical rebellion. It showcases the tragic reality that even with God's clear word and patient warning, humanity often prefers its self-destructive path. This verse explains why Judah's judgment became inevitable, as they actively refused to allow the divine Potter to reshape them. Practically, it highlights the danger of persistent resistance to spiritual conviction, where one's rationalization of "no hope" becomes a fortress against repentance, leading to an immutable state of spiritual hardening.