Jeremiah 19 11

Jeremiah 19:11 kjv

And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.

Jeremiah 19:11 nkjv

and 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, which cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury them in Tophet till there is no place to bury.

Jeremiah 19:11 niv

and say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter's jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.

Jeremiah 19:11 esv

and shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury.

Jeremiah 19:11 nlt

Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.

Jeremiah 19 verses

Jeremiah 19 11 Meaning

Jeremiah 19:11 declares a stark and irreversible judgment against the people of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. Through a prophetic sign act, God conveys that He will utterly shatter them, just as one breaks an earthenware jar beyond any possibility of repair. This signifies complete and devastating destruction due to their persistent sin and rebellion against Him, rendering their old way of life and perceived security completely unviable and irrevocably broken.

Jeremiah 19 11 Context

Jeremiah chapter 19 describes a prophetic object lesson in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna, or Topheth). This valley, located just outside Jerusalem, had become a horrific site where the people of Judah, specifically under wicked kings, sacrificed their children to Molech (2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31-32). Jeremiah is commanded by God to gather elders and priests, take an earthenware jar (or "potter's vessel"), and declare God's judgment there, then publicly shatter the jar. This specific context of Topheth—a place defiled by abhorrent idolatry—intensifies the message of irreversible destruction. The act and the declaration of verse 11 are not just a warning but a final pronouncement of God's decision regarding Judah and Jerusalem's imminent overthrow by Babylon due to their deep-seated rebellion and moral depravity. The Lord had previously offered the option for Israel to be remolded by the potter (Jer 18), but this new sign act in chapter 19 indicates that the time for reforming has passed; now, only smashing remains for a people that refused to change.

Jeremiah 19 11 Word analysis

• Then say to them: This is a direct imperative from God to Jeremiah, signifying that the prophet is to convey a divinely authorized message without alteration. It marks the transition from the symbolic act to its verbal interpretation.

• Thus says the LORD of hosts: (Hebrew: כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, koh 'amar YHWH Ts'va'ot)

  • koh 'amar: "Thus says," is the standard prophetic formula establishing divine authority. The message originates directly from God.
  • YHWH Ts'va'ot: "The LORD of hosts" or "LORD of armies," highlights God's sovereignty over all creation, visible and invisible, including heavenly and earthly powers. This title underscores His power to execute His word, especially judgment.

• Just so will I break: (Hebrew: כָּכָה אֶשְׁבֹּר, kakhah 'eshbor)

  • kakhah: "Just so," "in this manner," or "likewise." It directly links the symbolic act of breaking the jar to the reality of the impending destruction.
  • eshbor: "I will break" or "I will shatter." This verb (שָׁבַר, shavar) implies a forceful and violent breaking into pieces. It emphasizes God as the active agent of destruction, not merely a passive observer or external force.

• this people and this city: This refers specifically to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. It identifies the immediate recipients of the judgment, singling out their culpability in the general sinfulness of the land. "This city" specifically alludes to Jerusalem, the capital, often wrongly perceived as invincible due to God's presence there.

• as one breaks a potter's vessel: (Hebrew: כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁבֹּר אֶת־כְּלִי הַיּוֹצֵר, ka'asher yishbor 'et-keli hayyotzer)

  • ka'asher: "As" or "just as," a simile directly comparing the divine act to the prophet's demonstration.
  • keli hayyotzer: "Potter's vessel" or "earthenware jar." Emphasizes its fragile, common, and disposable nature once broken. A broken earthenware jar has no value and is not worth repairing. This imagery starkly contrasts with God's ability to reshape clay in Jer 18; here, the outcome is decisive breakage.

• so that it can never be mended: (Hebrew: לֹא יוּכַל לְהֵחָבֵר עוֹד, lo yuchal l'hechaber 'od)

  • lo yuchal: "It will not be able," or "it cannot." Denotes impossibility.
  • l'hechaber: "To be mended," "to be joined together," "to be repaired," or "to be healed." Implies no human skill or effort can restore it.
  • 'od: "Again," "no more." Reinforces the finality and utter irreversibility of this particular destruction by human means. This does not preclude God's future sovereign work of restoration (as seen in later Jeremiah chapters), but it decisively states the end of the existing covenant order for Judah and Jerusalem.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Just so will I break...": This powerful opening asserts the divine origin and unchallengeable authority behind the prophecy. God Himself, as the all-powerful "LORD of hosts," declares the specific and parallel action ("Just so") of breaking. It's a statement of sovereign will and inescapable judgment.
  • "...this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel...": The targets of judgment (the nation of Judah and its capital Jerusalem) are juxtaposed with the fragile, easily destructible image of a pottery vessel. This highlights their vulnerability before God's wrath and removes any sense of false security they might have held regarding their chosen status or fortified city. The comparison to a common vessel underscores their worthlessness in their broken state.
  • "...so that it can never be mended.": This phrase is the climax of the judgment, emphasizing the utter finality and complete devastation. The brokenness is beyond repair, signifying the end of their corporate existence in that specific form and by human intervention. It means their socio-political, religious, and cultural structure would be irrecoverably shattered. While a remnant would survive and be eventually restored by God's grace, the "vessel" of that unfaithful generation and the city they knew would cease to be.

Jeremiah 19 11 Bonus section

The irreversibility proclaimed in Jeremiah 19:11 focuses on the nature of the current destruction for Judah and Jerusalem as a direct consequence of their specific idolatry and rebellion. It emphasizes that this "vessel"—the corrupt form of their nation and city—is broken beyond human repair. However, this does not nullify the future hope for a new restoration that God himself would sovereignly bring about. Later chapters of Jeremiah (e.g., Jer 29-33) promise a future return from exile, a new covenant, and a rebuilding, signifying that while the old vessel of their unfaithful corporate identity and structure would be irrecoverably broken, God ultimately retains His prerogative as the Divine Potter to create new vessels from new clay, in His timing and by His grace. This contrast highlights the severity of the judgment for that specific generation and its failures, while also foreshadowing the broader redemptive plan of God beyond immediate devastation.

Jeremiah 19 11 Commentary

Jeremiah 19:11 delivers one of the most vivid and chilling pronouncements of divine judgment in the Hebrew Bible. The context in the Valley of Hinnom, a place synonymous with heinous child sacrifice, elevates the severity of the message. The action of shattering an earthenware jar symbolizes a judgment so absolute that the subject—Judah and Jerusalem—will be broken beyond any hope of human restoration. Unlike the pliable clay in Jeremiah 18 that the potter could reshape, here the vessel is already fired and utterly shattered, indicating that the time for repentance and remolding has passed for that generation and that societal structure.

God, identified as the "LORD of hosts," asserts His ultimate power and authority to execute this irreversible judgment. The comparison to a potter's vessel signifies that the people and city, despite their claims of special status, are as vulnerable and discardable as a common pot when they defy their Maker. The phrase "can never be mended" highlights the completeness of this particular destruction, emphasizing that no human effort, alliance, or ingenuity will be able to reassemble their broken nation or rebuild their fallen city as it was. This points to a permanent disruption of their social, political, and religious framework, making way for exile and an entirely new, divinely initiated future for the remnant.