Focused Passage

Jeremiah 18:1-4

The Potter’s House, the Refused Return, and the Plot Against Jeremiah

The chapter moves from Jeremiah’s descent to the potter’s house, to the ruined vessel remade in the potter’s hands, to the LORD’s explanation of his sovereign and conditional dealings with nations, to Judah’s refusal to turn, to a creation-and-nations comparison exposing Judah’s unnatural apostasy, to the announcement of scattering and divine hiddenness, and finally to the people’s plot against Jeremiah and Jeremiah’s plea for vindication.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

2“Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will give you My message.”

3So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel.

4But the vessel that he was shaping from the clay became flawed in his hand; so he formed it into another vessel, as it seemed best for him to do.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 1

Original words

This is the wordהַדָּבָר֙H1697Article | Noun - masculine singularthatאֲשֶׁ֣רH834Pronoun - relativecameהָיָ֣הH1961Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singulartoאֶֽל־H413PrepositionJeremiahיִרְמְיָ֔הוּH3414Noun - proper - masculine singular. . .מֵאֵ֥תH854Preposition-m | Direct object markerfrom the LORDיְהוָ֖הH3068Noun - proper - masculine singular. . .לֵאמֹֽר׃H559Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Verse 2

Original words

Go downוְיָרַדְתָּ֖H3381Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singularat onceק֥וּםH6965Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singularto the potter’sהַיּוֹצֵ֑רH3335Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularhouseבֵּ֣יתH1004Noun - masculine singular constructand thereוְשָׁ֖מָּהH8033Conjunctive waw | Adverb | third person feminine singularI will give youאַשְׁמִֽיעֲךָ֥H8085Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular-אֶת־H853Direct object markerMy messageדְּבָרָֽי׃H1697Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Verse 3

Original words

So I went downוָאֵרֵ֖דH3381Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singularto the potter’sהַיּוֹצֵ֑רH3335Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularhouseבֵּ֣יתH1004Noun - masculine singular constructand saw himוְהִנֵּהוּH2009Conjunctive waw | Interjectionworkingעֹשֶׂ֥הH6213Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular. . .מְלָאכָ֖הH4399Noun - feminine singularatעַל־H5921Prepositionthe wheelהָאָבְנָֽיִם׃H70Article | Noun - md
Verse 4

Original words

But the vesselהַכְּלִ֗יH3627Article | Noun - masculine singularthatאֲשֶׁ֨רH834Pronoun - relativeheה֥וּאH1931Pronoun - third person masculine singularwas shapingעֹשֶׂ֛הH6213Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularfrom the clayבַּחֹ֖מֶרH2563Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singularbecame flawedוְנִשְׁחַ֣תH7843Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singularin [his]הַיּוֹצֵ֑רH3335Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular. . .וְשָׁ֗בH7725Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singularhandבְּיַ֣דH3027Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular constructso he formedוַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֙הוּ֙H6213Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singularit into anotherאַחֵ֔רH312Adjective - masculine singularvesselכְּלִ֣יH3627Noun - masculine singularasכַּאֲשֶׁ֥רH834Preposition-k | Pronoun - relativeit seemedבְּעֵינֵ֥יH5869Preposition-b | Noun - cdcbestיָשַׁ֛רH3474Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularfor himהַיּוֹצֵ֖רH3335Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularto doלַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃פH6213Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.