Jeremiah 18:5 kjv
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jeremiah 18:5 nkjv
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Jeremiah 18:5 niv
Then the word of the LORD came to me.
Jeremiah 18:5 esv
Then the word of the LORD came to me:
Jeremiah 18:5 nlt
Then the LORD gave me this message:
Jeremiah 18 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 18:6 | "Can I not do with you, house of Israel, as this potter does?" declares the Lord. | God's Sovereign Power |
| Isaiah 45:9 | "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among potsherds! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘It is marred!’?" | Clay in Potter's Hand |
| Romans 9:20 | But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" | God's Absolute Authority |
| Isaiah 64:8 | Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. | God as Potter, Israel as Clay |
| Psalm 2:9 | You will break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. | God's Judgment on Rebels |
| John 15:5 | I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. | Dependence on God's Work |
| Ephesians 2:10 | For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. | God's Creation for Good Works |
| Jeremiah 1:10 | See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” | God's Commission for Jeremiah |
| Proverbs 16:4 | The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. | God's Sovereign Purpose |
| Romans 9:21 | 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? | Potter's Right over Clay |
| Romans 9:23 | and to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory— | Vessels of Mercy |
| Romans 9:24 | even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? | Calling of Gentiles |
| Jeremiah 19:1 | Thus says the Lord: “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware jar and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests | Symbol of the Nation's Sin |
| Jeremiah 19:2 | and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is by the entrance of the Pottery Gate, and proclaim there the words that I will tell you. | The Pottery Gate |
| Isaiah 30:14 | and they will be shattered like a potter’s vessel, so violently broken that no fragment will be found among the fragments with which to take fire from the hearth or to scoop water from the cistern. | Utter Destruction |
| Jeremiah 18:11 | "Now therefore say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, each of you from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.’” | God's Repentance from Disaster |
| Acts 18:19 | they came to Ephesus, and he left them there. And he went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. | Paul's Ministry |
| Colossians 1:27 | to them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. | Christ in You |
| 2 Timothy 2:20 | But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. | Vessels in a Great House |
| Revelation 2:27 | and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthenware pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. | Ruling with Iron Rod |
| Jeremiah 18:7-10 | "If at any time I speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in my sight by not obeying my voice, then I will reconsider the disaster that I had intended to inflict on it. And at what time I speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it turns from its evil, then I will reconsider the good that I had intended to do to it. | God's Contingent Repentance |
Jeremiah 18 verses
Jeremiah 18 5 Meaning
The potter, God, has absolute sovereignty over the clay, His creation, the nation of Israel. God can form it into a vessel of honor or dishonor, according to His sovereign will and purpose. This highlights God's supreme authority and power in His dealings with humanity.
Jeremiah 18 5 Context
Jeremiah chapter 18 begins with God instructing Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house. There, Jeremiah witnesses the potter working with clay. God then uses this scene as a metaphor to explain His relationship with Israel. The verse in question highlights God's absolute right as the Creator to mold and shape His creation, the nation of Israel, according to His divine will. This message comes during a time when Judah was nearing destruction due to its persistent sin and idolatry, despite God's previous warnings and offers of repentance. The prophet is meant to convey that God, like the potter, can decide to make something else out of the nation if it persists in its sin, or alternatively, if the nation repents, God will also change His mind about the disaster He planned.
Jeremiah 18 5 Word Analysis
- "And": Conjunction connecting clauses, showing a continuation or addition.
- "the": Definite article.
- "word": Hebrew: dabar (דָּבָר). It signifies a spoken message, a thing, an event, or a matter. Here it refers to the message God gives to Jeremiah.
- "of": Preposition indicating possession or origin.
- "the": Definite article.
- "LORD": Hebrew: Yahweh (יְהוָה). The personal covenant name of God, emphasizing His faithfulness and relational aspect.
- "came": Hebrew: hayah (הָיָה) - literally "came to be" or "happened." It indicates the commencement or arrival of something.
- "unto": Preposition indicating direction.
- "me": First-person pronoun, referring to Jeremiah.
- "saying": Present participle of the verb "to say." Indicates that what follows is God's direct communication.
Words-group analysis:
- "the word of the LORD came unto me": This is a recurring prophetic formula in Jeremiah and other Old Testament prophets. It signifies the divine origin and authority of the message that Jeremiah is about to deliver. It assures the audience that the words are not Jeremiah's own but God's direct communication.
Jeremiah 18 5 Bonus Section
The imagery of the potter and the clay is a potent and recurring metaphor in Scripture, underscoring themes of creation, divine sovereignty, human responsibility, and the possibility of divine judgment or restoration. The "pottery gate" mentioned in Jeremiah 19:2 further reinforces the literal connection of this divine message to the physical realities and commercial life of Jerusalem, indicating the direct relevance of God's word to everyday matters. This understanding of God's sovereignty is balanced with His persistent calls for repentance, as detailed in verses 7-10 of this same chapter, demonstrating that His sovereign plans often allow for human response to alter their course.
Jeremiah 18 5 Commentary
This verse introduces a profound illustration of God's absolute sovereignty and His role as the divine Potter. God, using the tangible action of a potter shaping clay, reveals His absolute authority over Israel, His creation. He has the prerogative to form them into vessels that serve His purposes, whether those purposes involve blessing or judgment, honor or dishonor. This sovereignty is not arbitrary; it is often linked to the obedience or disobedience of the created. As seen in other instances where God is depicted as a potter (Isaiah 64:8, Romans 9:20-21), the analogy emphasizes that God, as the maker, has the ultimate right to determine the destiny and form of His creation. Jeremiah's mission here is to illustrate that God can "unmake" or repurpose a nation if it rebels, just as a potter might discard or repurpose flawed clay.