Focused Passage

Jeremiah 18:13-17

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

13 Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard things like these? Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.

14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave its rocky slopes? Or do its cool waters flowing from a distance ever run dry?

15 Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their ways, leaving the ancient roads to walk on rutted bypaths instead of on the highway.

16 They have made their land a desolation, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and shake their heads.

17 I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity.”

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 13

Cross-references

Jeremiah 5:30 Classic cross-references Hosea 6:10 Classic cross-references Isaiah 66:8 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 2:10 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 23:14 Classic cross-references

Original words

Therefore לָכֵ֗ן H3651 Adverb this is what כֹּ֚ה H3541 Adverb the LORD יְהוָ֔ה H3068 Noun - proper - masculine singular says אָמַ֣ר H559 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Inquire שַֽׁאֲלוּ־ H7592 Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural . . . נָא֙ H4994 Interjection among the nations בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם H1471 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural Who מִ֥י H4310 Interrogative has ever heard שָׁמַ֖ע H8085 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular things like these כָּאֵ֑לֶּה H428 Preposition-k | Pronoun - common plural Virgin בְּתוּלַ֖ת H1330 Noun - feminine singular construct Israel יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ H3478 Noun - proper - masculine singular has done עָשְׂתָ֣ה H6213 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular a most מְאֹ֔ד H3966 Adverb terrible thing שַֽׁעֲרֻרִת֙ H8186 Adjective - feminine singular

Verse 14

Cross-references

Jeremiah 2:13 Classic cross-references John 6:68 Classic cross-references

Original words

Does the snow שֶׁ֣לֶג H7950 Noun - masculine singular construct of Lebanon לְבָנ֑וֹן H3844 Noun - proper - feminine singular ever leave הֲיַעֲזֹ֥ב H5800 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular its rocky מִצּ֛וּר H6697 Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct slopes שָׂדַ֖י H7704 Noun - masculine singular Or אִם־ H518 Conjunction do its cool קָרִ֖ים H7119 Adjective - masculine plural waters מַ֛יִם H4325 Noun - masculine plural flowing נוֹזְלִֽים׃ H5140 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural from a distance זָרִ֥ים H2114 Adjective - masculine plural ever run dry יִנָּתְשׁ֗וּ H5428 Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural

Verse 15

Cross-references

Jeremiah 6:16 Classic cross-references Isaiah 57:14 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 2:32 Classic cross-references Hosea 11:2 Classic cross-references Psalms 9:17 Classic cross-references

Original words

Yet כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction My people עַמִּ֖י H5971 Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular have forgotten Me שְׁכֵחֻ֥נִי H7911 Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular They burn incense יְקַטֵּ֑רוּ H6999 Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural to worthless idols לַשָּׁ֣וְא H7723 Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular that make them stumble וַיַּכְשִׁל֤וּם H3782 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine plural in their ways בְּדַרְכֵיהֶם֙ H1870 Preposition-b | Noun - common plural construct | third person masculine plural [leaving] the ancient עוֹלָ֔ם H5769 Noun - masculine singular roads שְׁבִילֵ֣י H7635 Noun - masculine plural construct to walk לָלֶ֣כֶת H1980 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct on rutted נְתִיב֔וֹת H5410 Noun - feminine plural construct bypaths דֶּ֖רֶךְ H1870 Noun - common singular instead of לֹ֥א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle on the highway סְלוּלָֽה׃ H5549 Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular

Verse 16

Cross-references

Psalms 22:7 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 19:8 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 25:9 Classic cross-references Ezekiel 27:36 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 50:13 Classic cross-references

Original words

They have made לָשׂ֥וּם H7760 Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct their land אַרְצָ֛ם H776 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural a desolation לְשַׁמָּ֖ה H8047 Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular a perpetual עוֹלָ֑ם H5769 Noun - masculine singular object of scorn שְׁרוּקַת H8322 Noun - feminine plural construct all כֹּ֚ל H3605 Noun - masculine singular construct who pass עוֹבֵ֣ר H5674 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular by עָלֶ֔יהָ H5921 Preposition | third person feminine singular will be appalled יִשֹּׁ֖ם H8074 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular and shake וְיָנִ֥יד H5110 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular their heads בְּרֹאשֽׁוֹ׃ H7218 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular

Verse 17

Cross-references

Jeremiah 13:24 Classic cross-references Jeremiah 2:27 Classic cross-references Psalms 48:7 Classic cross-references Hosea 13:15 Classic cross-references Job 27:21 Classic cross-references

Original words

I will scatter them אֲפִיצֵ֖ם H6327 Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural before לִפְנֵ֣י H6440 Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct the enemy אוֹיֵ֑ב H341 Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular like the east קָדִ֥ים H6921 Noun - masculine singular wind כְּרֽוּחַ־ H7307 Preposition-k | Noun - common singular construct I will show them אֶרְאֵ֖ם H7200 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural My back עֹ֧רֶף H6203 Noun - masculine singular and not וְלֹֽא־ H3808 Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle My face פָנִ֛ים H6440 Noun - masculine plural in the day בְּי֥וֹם H3117 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct of their calamity אֵידָֽם׃ס H343 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural

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