Jeremiah 18:6 kjv
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, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 18:6 nkjv
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
Jeremiah 18:6 niv
He said, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
Jeremiah 18:6 esv
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 18:6 nlt
"O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand.
Jeremiah 18 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 18:1-5 | ...went down to the potter’s house, and there he was making something | Immediate context of the potter's house. |
| Isa 64:8 | Yet you, Lord, are our Father; we are the clay, you are the potter | We are dependent on God's molding hand. |
| Isa 29:16 | You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be clay | folly of denying God's right to shape. |
| Isa 45:9 | Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker... | Denouncing questioning God's authority. |
| Rom 9:20-21 | Has the potter no right to make out of the same lump of clay... | God's sovereign choice in salvation and judgment. |
| Job 10:9 | Remember that you molded me like clay | God's role in creating humanity. |
| Ps 100:3 | Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his... | God's creation and ownership of His people. |
| Jer 1:10 | See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot... | God's sovereign hand in nation-shaping. |
| Jer 18:7-10 | If at any time I announce that a nation... I may revoke it... | Conditionality of God's plans for nations. |
| Deut 28:1-68 | If you fully obey the Lord your God... all these blessings will come | Blessings/curses dependent on national obedience. |
| Jonah 3:10 | When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways... | God relents from judgment when a nation repents. |
| Exod 32:14 | Then the Lord relented from the harm he said he would inflict... | God's willingness to turn from judgment. |
| Joel 2:13 | Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate... | Call to repentance highlighting God's mercy. |
| Ezek 33:10-11 | As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure | God desires repentance over destruction. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... but is patient... | God's patience in allowing time for repentance. |
| Heb 12:5-11 | endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children... | God disciplines those He loves to shape them. |
| Lam 3:37-38 | Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? | God's ultimate control over all events. |
| Isa 53:1 | ...the arm of the Lord revealed? | Illustrates God's power in action. |
| Eph 2:10 | For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works | Believers are God's 'masterpiece', continually shaped. |
| 2 Cor 4:7 | But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all... | Our fragility as vessels holding divine power. |
| Zech 12:1 | ...the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation | God as the ultimate Creator and Molder. |
| Jer 26:3 | Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil way... | Opportunity for Israel to respond and avert disaster. |
Jeremiah 18 verses
Jeremiah 18 6 Meaning
Jeremiah 18:6 conveys God's absolute sovereignty and complete control over the nation of Israel, analogous to a potter's unquestionable authority and power over the clay. Just as a potter can shape, reshape, or even discard a vessel, so the Lord asserts His right and ability to act according to His will with Israel, shaping their destiny based on their obedience or rebellion. It underscores that Israel, despite being God's chosen people, is entirely dependent on Him and subject to His purposes.
Jeremiah 18 6 Context
Jeremiah chapter 18 opens with God commanding the prophet to go to the potter’s house (vv. 1-2). There, Jeremiah observes the potter working at the wheel. When a vessel in progress is marred in the potter's hand, the potter doesn't discard the clay but reshapes it into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter (vv. 3-4). This visual lesson provides the immediate backdrop for verse 6. God uses this everyday scenario as a vivid parable to communicate profound truth to Israel. The historical context is Jeremiah’s ministry during a period of intense idolatry and moral decline in Judah, prior to the Babylonian exile. The nation faced imminent judgment, yet false prophets promised peace. This prophecy acts as a stark warning, asserting God’s sovereign right to determine Israel's fate, contrasting their rebellious independence with the potter's total control.
Jeremiah 18 6 Word analysis
- O house of Israel (בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, bêṯ-yiśrā’ēl): A direct address to the covenant people of God, emphasizing their national identity and their unique relationship with the Lord. It signifies not just individuals but the collective nation.
- cannot I do with you as this potter? (הֲכַיּוֹצֵר הַזֶּה לֹא־אוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת לָכֶם, hakayôṣēr hazzěh lōʾ-ʾûḵal laʿăśôṯ lāḵem): A rhetorical question implying an emphatic "yes." God is asking if His authority over Israel is not at least equal to, or indeed greater than, the potter’s over clay. The Hebrew word yāṣar (יצר), from which "potter" (yôṣēr) is derived, is the same word used in Gen 2:7 for God "forming" man from the dust. This subtly links divine creation with His ongoing sovereign power to reshape.
- saith the LORD (נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה, nəʾum-YHWH): A common prophetic formula that authenticates the message as a direct utterance from God Himself (Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God). It adds divine weight and authority to the statement.
- Behold (הִנֵּ֛ה, hinnēh): An interjection demanding attention, drawing the listener's focus to the powerful comparison that follows. It signals an important clarification or summary.
- as the clay is in the potter's hand (כַּחֹ֙מֶר֙ בְּיַד־הַיּוֹצֵ֔ר, kaḥōmer bəyad-hayyôṣēr):
- Clay (חֹמֶר, ḥōmer): Refers to raw, pliable earth, inherently lacking form or will, completely dependent on the potter for its shape and purpose. It signifies total malleability and dependence.
- In the potter's hand (בְּיַד־הַיּוֹצֵ֔ר, bəyad-hayyôṣēr): Emphasizes direct, immediate, and complete control. The hand is the instrument of the potter's will and power. It conveys absolute authority and dominion.
- so are ye in mine hand (כֵּן אַתֶּם בְּיָדִ֖י, kēn ʾattem bəyāḏî): The direct application of the analogy. God declares His equivalent and sovereign control over Israel. The possessive "mine" (bəyāḏî, "in my hand") personalizes and confirms His claim.
- O house of Israel (בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, bêṯ yiśrā’ēl): A repetition that powerfully reaffirms the audience and the direct, inescapable nature of this divine truth for them. It drives home the message of their complete accountability and dependence.
Jeremiah 18 6 Bonus section
The concept of God as the "Potter" and humanity as "clay" is deeply embedded in Old Testament theology, stemming from the creation account itself (Gen 2:7, where God forms man from the dust, using the same root word, yatsar, as 'potter'). This emphasizes not only God's creative power but His ongoing relational and molding authority. This divine control, however, is not deterministic for human individuals in the same way it might appear for the raw clay, as Israel is consistently presented with moral choices and appeals for repentance throughout Jeremiah's prophecies and indeed the entire Bible. The analogy in Jeremiah 18:6, expanded upon in verses 7-10, introduces a crucial conditional element: God's plans for nations (to build or pluck up, plant or break down) are responsive to their moral actions. This makes the divine sovereignty a dynamic, interactive force rather than a static decree, constantly calling people to turn from evil or pursue righteousness. The prophet's observation of the potter transforming a marred vessel into another vessel (Jer 18:4) is a testament to God's patient grace, His ability to redeem and re-purpose, even when His initial design is disrupted by the "flaw" (sin) in the "clay."
Jeremiah 18 6 Commentary
Jeremiah 18:6 encapsulates a crucial theological principle: God’s absolute sovereignty over nations, particularly His covenant people, Israel. The analogy of the potter and the clay vividly illustrates that God holds the power to shape, remake, or even break the nation according to His will and their responsiveness. This isn't arbitrary power but sovereign justice and mercy in action. If Israel, like marred clay, chose rebellion and persistent sin, God reserved the right to reshape their destiny through judgment. Conversely, as shown in Jer 18:7-10, if they repented, He could change His declared intention for disaster to one of blessing. This verse served as a powerful call to repentance, reminding Israel that their existence and future were entirely contingent upon God’s sovereign hand, urging them to yield to His molding rather than resisting His will. It underlines that even chosenness does not exempt a people from the consequences of their actions, but places them directly under divine scrutiny and shaping. For example, a disobedient individual might face the consequences of their actions through disciplinary hardships, much like a potter might remold a failing pot. But if they truly humble themselves and repent, God is merciful and will work to bring about a new form or direction, leading to a new season.