Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
What does Jeremiah 18:3 mean?
While Jeremiah looks upon the potter's work, God darts into his mind two great truths. God has authority, and power, to form and fashion kingdoms and nations as he pleases.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Jeremiah 18:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Jeremiah 18:3
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. The wheels - literally, "the two wheels." The lower one was worked by the feet to give motion to the upper one, which was a flat disc or plate of wood, on which the potter laid the clay, and moulded it with his fingers as it revolved rapidly.
Key words
- upon a seat
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upon a seat. The Septuagint version renders it, "on stones" (n); and R.
- frames
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frames. The top of the nut is flat, of a circular figure, and a foot in diameter.
- upon a seat
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upon a seat. The Septuagint version renders it, "on stones" (n); and R.
- frames
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frames. The top of the nut is flat, of a circular figure, and a foot in diameter.
Context in Jeremiah 18
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Jeremiah 18 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as conflict with kings, priests, and prophets. Jeremiah combines fierce warning, autobiographical anguish, symbolic action, the promise of a new covenant, and the trauma of Jerusalem’s fall. Read this chapter with the wider themes of judgment, tears, and new covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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