Jeremiah 18:3 kjv
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jeremiah 18:3 nkjv
Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.
Jeremiah 18:3 niv
So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
Jeremiah 18:3 esv
So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.
Jeremiah 18:3 nlt
So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.
Jeremiah 18 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 18:2 | "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will make you hear my words." | Immediate context |
| Isaiah 45:9 | "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots!" | God's sovereignty in creation |
| Isaiah 64:8 | "But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter;" | God as the divine potter |
| Romans 9:20-21 | "On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? Can the thing molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" | God's authority over creation |
| Job 10:9 | "Remember that you fashioned me like clay; and to dust would you return me." | Human dependence on Creator |
| Psalm 2:9 | "You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." | God's power and judgment |
| Jeremiah 19:1 | "Thus says the LORD, 'Go and buy a potter's earthenware jug.'" | Similar symbolic action in Jeremiah |
| Jeremiah 19:11 | "and shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: Even so I will break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel that can never again be mended...'" | Potter's vessel as a symbol of judgment |
| Isaiah 29:16 | "You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay...?" | Reversal of natural order and sovereignty |
| Wisdom 15:7 | "For he who made them and put the breath into them made them, and he who shaped them made them." | Divine artistry in creation |
| John 11:33 | "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled." | Jesus' empathetic response to human suffering |
| Revelation 21:5 | "And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" | God's redemptive renewal |
| Philippians 1:6 | "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." | God's ongoing work in believers |
| Colossians 1:16 | "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him." | Christ as the agent of creation |
| 2 Timothy 2:20 | "Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable." | Varieties of vessels in a household |
| Romans 1:20 | "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made..." | God's attributes evident in creation |
| 1 Corinthians 7:17 | "Only let each person live the life and the manner to which the Lord has assigned him, as God has called each, so let him walk..." | Accepting one's calling/station |
| Acts 17:28 | "'For in him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring.'" | Human existence rooted in God |
| Romans 8:28 | "We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." | God's redemptive purposes |
| Lamentations 4:2 | "The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in gold, how they are judged as earthen pots, the work of a potter's hands!" | Lament for Judah's fallen state |
Jeremiah 18 verses
Jeremiah 18 3 Meaning
God instructs Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house. There, he will hear God's message. The act of going down signifies humility and a receptiveness to divine revelation. The potter's house represents a place of creation and skilled work, setting the stage for God's sovereign power over His creation.
Jeremiah 18 3 Context
Jeremiah 18 is set against the backdrop of impending judgment upon Judah due to their persistent disobedience and idolatry. God often uses tangible, everyday imagery to communicate His messages to His prophet. The chapter begins with God's instruction to Jeremiah to go to the potter's house. This imagery of the potter and clay is a powerful metaphor for God's sovereignty over His people, Israel, and His authority to shape, mold, discipline, or even discard them according to His will, much like a potter with his clay. The prophet is being prepared to witness and deliver a message of warning and conditional judgment, reflecting the covenant relationship God has with Israel, where obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings severe consequences.
Jeremiah 18 3 Word Analysis
- “Go down”: Hebrew: yə·rêd (וְרֵד). Imperative verb, literally "go down." This command suggests movement from Jeremiah's current location to a lower place, perhaps symbolizing humility or descending to observe God's work at a foundational level.
- “to the potter’s house”: Hebrew: ’el-bet-happeṭ-hə·wa (אֶל־בֵּית הַפֹּתֵר). ’el means "to" or "toward." bayit means "house" or "dwelling." happeṭər is the noun "potter," derived from the verb paṯar meaning "to shape" or "to form." This signifies the workshop or dwelling of one who shapes clay.
- “and there”: Hebrew: wə·šām (וְשָׁם). Conjunction "and" (wə) plus the adverb "there." It connects the action of going to the place with the ensuing divine communication.
- “I will make you hear”: Hebrew: ’aṣ·ma‘ə·kā (’שִׁמָּעֲךָ). ’ešmā‘ is from the verb šāma‘ meaning "to hear" or "to listen." The causative conjugation hi'il intensifies the meaning to "cause to hear" or "make one hear." This emphasizes that God is the direct source of the message Jeremiah will receive.
- “my words”: Hebrew: ’et·dā·ḇā·r₉·ṯāy (אֶת־דְּבָרָֽי). ’et is a direct object marker. dĕbārîm is the plural of dĕbār, meaning "word," "utterance," or "thing." -î is the first-person possessive suffix, "my." These are God's divine communications.
Words-Group Analysis
- “Go down to the potter’s house”: This is a direct, concrete instruction to the prophet, leading him to a specific location where a common artisan practices his craft. The ordinariness of the setting belies the extraordinary divine encounter that will occur there, emphasizing that God's truth can be revealed in the most unexpected and humble places.
- “and there I will make you hear my words”: This clause links the physical location directly to the divine reception of God's message. The emphasis on "make you hear" signifies not just passive listening but an active imparting of divine knowledge and understanding from God Himself.
Jeremiah 18 3 Bonus Section
The imagery of the potter and clay is recurrent throughout Scripture, underscoring themes of creation, divine sovereignty, human responsibility, and the possibility of redemption. The analogy allows for a visual and tangible representation of theological concepts that might otherwise be abstract. This specific instruction to Jeremiah also sets up a pastoral concern for God’s people; if the clay is marred in the potter's hands, the potter can indeed rework it. This theme of God's persistent, albeit disciplinary, work in the lives of His people is central to His character. The going down of Jeremiah to the potter's house could also symbolize God's condescension to human understanding, meeting Jeremiah in the realm of human experience.
Jeremiah 18 3 Commentary
This verse marks the commencement of a significant prophetic revelation for Jeremiah. God directs him to a potter's workshop, a place symbolic of divine sovereignty and the human condition. The potter has complete authority over the clay, able to shape it as he wills. Similarly, God, as the divine Potter, has absolute authority over His people, Israel. Jeremiah's mission is to witness this act of shaping and to hear God's message, which will illustrate His power to create, discipline, and recreate His covenant people. The experience underscores that God's dealings with humanity are rooted in His character as the Maker and that His pronouncements are not arbitrary but proceed from His authoritative position. The verse highlights God's intentionality in revealing Himself and His will, choosing a setting that graphically demonstrates His divine rights over His creation.