Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 18:5
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. While he was in the potter’s house, and after he had observed his manner of working, and the change he had made in his work, the Lord spoke to him, and applied it in the following manner.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Vs. 5-12: THE DIVINE POWER AND HUMAN CLAY
1. A balanced view of this lesson requires the recognition of
three basic things:
a. THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED: that of Divine Sovereignty the absolute RIGHT of God to do what He will with his human clay.
b. THE DEFINITE PURPOSE in the mind of the Divine Potter -the intent and design which lies behind the divine action.
c. THE PERSON OF THE DIVINE POTTER: This can never be grasped apart from an experiential knowledge of the Son of Man Who is: loving, compassionate, tender, patient, merciful and kind.
2. Does not God have a SOVEREIGN RIGHT to do with Israel as the potter has done with his clay? (vs. 5-6; Isa 45:9; Rom 9:20-21).
a. As the clay in the hands of the potter, so is Israel in the hands of her God.
b. And this is equally true of ALL MEN, and ALL NATIONS; God has a RIGHT to do with us as He sees fit!
3. Men must be very careful (especially theologians) not to lay down carnal rules to govern the exercise of DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY! (vs. 7-10).
a. God is not arbitrary in the exercise of His sovereignty; His action toward men is ALWAYS in accord with men’s behaviour TOWARD HIM!
b. Though He declares His intention to pluck up, break down and destroy a nation because of its sins, He will SUSPEND and TURN FROM the purposed judgment if the threat of His outstretched hand causes the people to turn from their sin! (vs. 7-8; Jer 7:3-7; Jer 12:16-17; comp. Eze 18:21-23; Hos 11:8-9; Joe 2:12-14).
c. And, though God declares His INTENTION “to build and to plant” (either a kingdom or nation), He will TURN FROM His purposed course if, in rebellion and disobedience, their hearts are turned away from Him! (vs. 9-10; Jer 31:27-30; comp. 1Sa 2:30; 1Sa 13:1314; Eze 18:24; Heb 10:30-31).
d. While such mercy and flexibility may tend to drive dogmatic theologians mad, it is not at all out of harmony with the divine character of Him Who is ABSOLUTE holiness, faithfulness and truth!
4. Having revealed to His servant this PRINCIPLE OF DIVINE ACTION, God sends Jeremiah to announce impending judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem unless they repent and turn from their evil way, (vs. 11; Jer 11:11; 2Ki 17:13-18; Isa 1:16-19).
5. In essence, they tell the prophet that he might as well SAVE HIS BREATH! They will stubbornly follow the devices of their own evil hearts! (vs. 12; Jer 2:25; Isa 57:10; Jer 7:24; Jer 16:12; Deu 29:19-21).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
B. The Interpretation for the Prophet Jer. 18:5-10
TRANSLATION
(5) And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (6) Am I not able to do to you as this potter (oracle of the LORD)? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, thus are you in My hands, O house of Israel. (7) One moment I may speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up, to tear down and to destroy; (8) but if that nation repents of its evil on account of which I have spoken, then I will relent concerning the evil which I had thought to do unto it. (9) One instance I may speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to build and to plant; (10) but if it does evil in My eyes that it not hearken to My voice, then I will relent concerning the good which I have spoken to benefit it.
COMMENTS
The nation of Israel is but clay in the hands of the divine Potter. He can dispose of them as he wills. If the nation yields and submits to the working of the divine hand, He will produce from it a beautiful and useful vessel. But if Israel refuses to allow the Potter to have his way then Israel will be discarded and God will start all over again with a new creation.
A word of caution is in order on this passage. Analogies when pressed beyond their intended purpose yield bad theology. One should not conclude from this episode that in Gods dealing with Israel He has been at fault in the ruination of the vessel. The potter which Jeremiah watched may have made an error of judgment in the amount of clay he selected or in some other respect that caused the first vessel to be inadequate. But no one should attribute such errors of judgment to the master Potter. The analogy breaks down in another respect. Clay is inanimate and material. The human heart possesses the power to willfully rebel against the Potter. Man can choose to be pliable in the hands of the Creator or to be a hard as sun-baked clay. Every child of God should be praying: Have Thine own way Lord, Have thine own way. Thou are the potter, I am the clay.
A most important principle of Biblical interpretation emerges in Jer. 18:7-10. Simply stated the principle is this: Neither Gods threats nor His promises are unconditional. The attitude of God toward any people depends entirely upon their response to Him. He is not an arbitrary God ruled by whims or fancies. He is the God of unchanging justice and mercy. God may decree the destruction of a nation and give no hint that the nation can survive. Yet if that nation repents of its sin God will rescind the execution order. One thinks immediately of Jonahs mission to Nineveh. Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown, he cried. The message was absolute and unequivocal without any hint of hope. Yet Nineveh repented and Nineveh found forgiveness. The threat was not executed and Jonahs prophecy of doom went unfulfilled. The principle enunciated by Jeremiah in these verses helps to explain why some prophecies in the Bible have not been fulfilled. Biblical prophecies must be interpreted as conditional even though the conditional element may at times be missing.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
INTERPRETATION OF THE PARABLE, Jer 18:5-10.
5, 6. Cannot I do as this potter In the application of the emblem used, God refutes the dependence of the Jews on their outward election. As the potter crushes the misshapen vessel in order that it may be refashioned, so Jehovah crushes by affliction his wayward and rebellious people, in order that his purpose as to their mission may not be frustrated.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ver. 5. Then came the word of the Lord unto me. ] See Jer 18:1 . To the visible word God always addeth the audible; as in the two sacraments.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 18:5-12
5Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 6Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it. 11So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds.’ 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
Jer 18:7 The actions of YHWH are the very actions given to Jeremiah at his call (cf. Jer 1:10). YHWH exercises interest and control over all nations (cf. Deu 32:8; all the judgment chapters are addressed to them in the prophets).
1. to uproot – BDB 684, KB 737, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT
2. to pull down – BDB 683, KB 736, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT
3. to destroy – BDB 1, KB 2, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT
The actions of renewal and rebuilding mentioned in Jer 1:10 are conditionally stated in Jer 18:8-9. Faith and faithfulness have consequences, as do idolatry and disobedience (cf. Jer 18:10).
Jer 18:8; Jer 18:10 if. . . There are some unconditional promises based on YHWH’s desire to redeem mankind. However, they are addressed to nations and individuals on conditional bases (i.e., Jer 7:3-7; Jer 12:16). This is where the doctrine of God’s Sovereignty and Human Freewill meet!
SPECIAL TOPIC: Predestination (Calvinism) Versus Human Free Will (Arminianism)
SPECIAL TOPIC: Election/Predestination and the Need for a Theological Balance
Jer 18:11 YHWH, like the potter, made and destroyed a piece of pottery. The VERB (BDB 427, KB 428) translated fashioning is the same Qal PARTICIPLE translated potter (Jer 18:2-4 [twice],6 [twice],11). It is also used of God’s activity in forming Adam (cf. Gen 2:7-8) and Jeremiah (Jer 1:5) and a nation from Abraham’s seed (cf. Isa 27:11; Isa 43:1; Isa 43:21; Isa 44:21; Isa 45:9; Isa 45:11; Isa 64:8).
I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you The OT asserts the full sovereignty of YHWH. His control of all events (i.e., one causality in the universe) was a theological way of asserting monotheism (see Special Topic at Jer 1:5). This one causality can be seen in 2Ch 20:6; Ecc 7:14; Isa 14:24-27; Isa 43:13; Isa 45:7; Isa 54:16; Jer 18:11; Lam 3:33-38). For a good brief discussion of this see Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 305-306. This in no way is meant to assert that YHWH is the source of evil!
There are two IMPERATIVES which describe YHWH’s message to Judah.
1. turn back – BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal IMPERATIVE, see Special Topic at Jer 2:22
2. reform (lit. make good) – BDB 405, KB 408, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
Notice that true repentance is not only a turning from evil, but a turning to good!
Jer 18:12 This is YHWH’s understanding of the unrepentant heart of Judah (cf. Jer 2:25; Jer 17:1). They will not, they cannot change (cf. Jer 13:23). They have passed the time of repentance. They walk in open-eyed rebellion (cf. Jer 7:24; Jer 9:13; Jer 13:10; Jer 16:12)!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jer 18:5-10
Jer 18:5-10
GOD’S PROMISES ARE ALWAYS CONDITIONAL
Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith Jehovah. Behold, as the clay in the potter’s hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Note that the deductions which were made from the analogy of the potter were not Jeremiah’s deductions, but those of God himself. Therefore, these are the true deductions that should be seen here; and they deal exclusively with the proposition that all of God’s promises, or prophecies, whether of punishment and destruction, or of blessing and honor are absolutely and eternally conditional.
We consider this little paragraph to be one of the most important in the entire Bible. All such erroneous theological nostrums as beings “saved by faith only,” or “once saved, always saved,” “the irrevocable promises of God.” or “Palestine belongs to racial Jews forever” are eternally refuted and cancelled by what is declared in this little paragraph.
The great New Testament commentator on the parables, Bishop Richard Trench noted that: “Nor may we leave out of sight that all forgiveness, short of that crowning and last act, which will find place on the day of judgment, and will be followed by a blessed impossibility of sinning any more, is conditional, in the very nature of things so conditional, that the condition in every case must be assumed, whether stated or not; that condition being that the forgiven man continues in faith and obedience.”
Upon the authority of the apostle Paul, we find another analogy in the potter’s house, namely, that if the potter cannot make the vessel he intended out of the clay, he has the power to make another vessel, a vessel unto dishonor, instead of a vessel of honor; and that is exactly what is represented here (Rom 9:21).
God had intended great honors for Israel. They were intended to be a nation of priests unto God, a devoted, faithful and obedient people who would lead all the world to a knowledge of the true God, who, in time, would deliver through their flesh the Holy Messiah and Redeemer of Mankind, and who would challenge the whole world to accept and obey that Messiah, and who would be the vanguard of his Holy Religion throughout the world. What a vessel of honor they could have been!
But, through their low preference for the sensuous indulgence of their shameful worship of the old Canaanite gods, they made it impossible for God to fashion such a vessel of honor from the disobedient people; and, therefore God made of them a vessel of dishonor who would indeed continue to serve God, and who would, in time, deliver the Christ to a manger in Bethlehem, but who would never be of any use whatever in the nobler purposes God had intended.
I will repent… I will repent…
(Jer 18:8; Jer 18:10). This never means the same thing when spoken by the Lord or in reference for what God does, that it means in the case of men. In the same sense that men repent, such a thing is impossible for God who never does wrong. Yes, God’s treatment of men can and does change; but it is never due to any change of the mind of God but always results when human conduct is so changed that it merits a different relationship with God.
The classical example of such a change is recounted in the Book of Jonah, where it is stated that, “God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jon 3:10).
The corollary of this is seen in the history of Israel, that “When God saw the evil of their way, he repented of the good that he said he would do unto them and did it not.”
A nation. that nation … a nation …..
(Jer 18:7-10). These expressions in this context actually speak of any nation. Some scholars, always anxious to discover a reason for denying a passage to Jeremiah, would reject this as un-Jeremiahic; but Since Jeremiah was appointed to be ‘a prophet to the nations’ (Jer 1:5), this objection is unjustified.
The Interpretation for the Prophet Jer 18:5-10
The nation of Israel is but clay in the hands of the divine Potter. He can dispose of them as he wills. If the nation yields and submits to the working of the divine hand, He will produce from it a beautiful and useful vessel. But if Israel refuses to allow the Potter to have his way then Israel will be discarded and God will start all over again with a new creation.
A word of caution is in order on this passage. Analogies when pressed beyond their intended purpose yield bad theology. One should not conclude from this episode that in Gods dealing with Israel He has been at fault in the ruination of the vessel. The potter which Jeremiah watched may have made an error of judgment in the amount of clay he selected or in some other respect that caused the first vessel to be inadequate. But no one should attribute such errors of judgment to the master Potter. The analogy breaks down in another respect. Clay is inanimate and material. The human heart possesses the power to willfully rebel against the Potter. Man can choose to be pliable in the hands of the Creator or to be a hard as sun-baked clay. Every child of God should be praying: Have Thine own way Lord, Have thine own way. Thou are the potter, I am the clay.
A most important principle of Biblical interpretation emerges in Jer 18:7-10. Simply stated the principle is this: Neither Gods threats nor His promises are unconditional. The attitude of God toward any people depends entirely upon their response to Him. He is not an arbitrary God ruled by whims or fancies. He is the God of unchanging justice and mercy. God may decree the destruction of a nation and give no hint that the nation can survive. Yet if that nation repents of its sin God will rescind the execution order. One thinks immediately of Jonahs mission to Nineveh. Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown, he cried. The message was absolute and unequivocal without any hint of hope. Yet Nineveh repented and Nineveh found forgiveness. The threat was not executed and Jonahs prophecy of doom went unfulfilled. The principle enunciated by Jeremiah in these verses helps to explain why some prophecies in the Bible have not been fulfilled. Biblical prophecies must be interpreted as conditional even though the conditional element may at times be missing.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
5
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 18:5. Having let the prophet watch this procedure, God was ready to tell him the lesson he was to draw from the circumstance.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
The Lord’s message to Jeremiah for the nation was that He had the right to deal with Judah as the potter dealt with his clay (cf. Rom 9:20-21). Judah was like clay in Yahweh’s hands. Yahweh was also like a potter (Heb. yoser) in that He created and shaped (Heb. yasar) His people.