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Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Jeremiah 18:6

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Clay;   Government;   Nation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Clay;   Man;   The Topic Concordance - Disobedience;   Evil;   God;   Government;   Turning;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Potter;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Clay;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aceldama;   Clay;   Pottery;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Anthropology;   Divine Freedom;   Evil;   Jeremiah;   Oracles;   Vessels and Utensils;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Hardening;   Potter ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Potter;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Handicraft;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Clay;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Choose;   Potter;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Aceldama;   Eleazar (Eliezer) Ha-ḳappar;   Pottery;   Sukkah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
Hebrew Names Version
House of Yisra'el, can't I do with you as this potter? says the LORD. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, house of Yisra'el.
King James Version
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord . Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
English Standard Version
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord . Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
New American Standard Bible
"Am I not able, house of Israel, to 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, house of Israel.
New Century Version
"Family of Israel, can't I do the same thing with you?" says the Lord . "You are in my hands like the clay in the potter's hands.
Amplified Bible
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" says the LORD. "Look carefully, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
World English Bible
House of Israel, can't I do with you as this potter? says Yahweh. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
O house of Israel, cannot I doe with you as this potter, sayth the Lord? beholde, as the clay is in the potters hande, so are you in mine hande, O house of Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares Yahweh. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
"O house of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? declares the LORD. Just like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
Contemporary English Version
People of Israel, I, the Lord , have power over you, just as a potter has power over clay.
Complete Jewish Bible
"House of Isra'el, can't I deal with you as the potter deals with his clay? — says Adonai . Look! You, house of Isra'el, are the same in my hand as the clay in the potter's hand.
Darby Translation
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, house of Israel.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Family of Israel, you know that I can do the same thing with you. You are like the clay in the potter's hands, and I am the potter." This message is from the Lord .
George Lamsa Translation
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? says the LORD, Behold, as the clay is in the potters hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Good News Translation
"Don't I have the right to do with you people of Israel what the potter did with the clay? You are in my hands just like clay in the potter's hands.
Lexham English Bible
"Like this potter, am I not able to do to you, O house of Israel?" declares Yahweh. "Look, like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Literal Translation
O house of Israel, can I not do to you as this potter? says Jehovah. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Maye not I do wt you, as this Potter doth, O ye house off Israel? saieth the LORDE? Beholde, ye house off Israel: ye are in my honde, euen as the claye in the Potters honde.
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
O Israel, am I not able to do with you as this potter does? says the Lord. See, like earth in the potter's hand are you in my hands, O Israel.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
'O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are ye in My hand, O house of Israel.
King James Version (1611)
O house of Israel, cannot I doe with you as this potter, saith the Lord ? Behold, as the clay is in the potters hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
May not I do with you as this potter doth O ye house of Israel saith the Lorde? Beholde ye house of Israel, ye are in my hande, euen as the clay is in the potters hande.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Shall I not be able, O house of Israel, to do to you as this potter? behold, as the clay of the potter are ye in my hands.
English Revised Version
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he seide, Whether as this pottere doith, Y mai not do to you, the hous of Israel? seith the Lord. Lo! as cley is in the hond of a pottere, so ye, the hous of Israel, ben in myn hond.
Update Bible Version
O house of Israel, can't I do with you as this potter? says Yahweh. Look, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Webster's Bible Translation
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in my hand, O house of Israel.
New English Translation
"I, the Lord , say: ‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter's hand.'
New King James Version
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
New Living Translation
"O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand.
New Life Bible
"O people of Israel, can I not do with you as this potmaker has done?" says the Lord. "Like the clay in the pot-maker's hand, so are you in My hand, O people of Israel.
New Revised Standard
Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord . Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Like this potter, can I not deal with you O house of Israel? Demandeth Yahweh: Lo! as clay in the hand of the potter, So, are, ye, in my hand O house of Israel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cannot I do with you, as this potter, O house of Israel, saith the Lord? behold as clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Revised Standard Version
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Young's Literal Translation
As this potter am I not able to do to you? O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah. Lo, as clay in the hand of the potter, So [are] ye in My hand, O house of Israel.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Can 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.

Contextual Overview

1 God told Jeremiah, "Up on your feet! Go to the potter's house. When you get there, I'll tell you what I have to say." 3So I went to the potter's house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot. 5Then God 's Message came to me: "Can't I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?" God 's Decree! "Watch this potter. In the same way that this potter works his clay, I work on you, people of Israel. At any moment I may decide to pull up a people or a country by the roots and get rid of them. But if they repent of their wicked lives, I will think twice and start over with them. At another time I might decide to plant a people or country, but if they don't cooperate and won't listen to me, I will think again and give up on the plans I had for them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Jeremiah 18:4, Isaiah 64:8, Daniel 4:23, Matthew 20:15, Romans 11:34

Reciprocal: Job 9:12 - What Job 10:9 - thou hast Job 33:12 - God Isaiah 45:9 - Shall the clay

Cross-References

Matthew 13:33
Another story. "God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises."
Acts 16:15
After she was baptized, along with everyone in her household, she said in a surge of hospitality, "If you're confident that I'm in this with you and believe in the Master truly, come home with me and be my guests." We hesitated, but she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Galatians 5:13
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord,.... Make, and mar, and remake at pleasure? certainly he could. God is a sovereign Being, and has a sovereign and uncontrollable power over his creatures; he has an indisputable right unto them, and can dispose of them as he pleases; he has as good a right to them, and as great power over them, as the potter has to and over his clay, and a better and greater; since they are made by him, and have their all from him, their being, life, and motion; whereas the clay is not made by the potter; it is only the vessel that is made of the clay by him, which has its form from him; if therefore the potter has such power over the clay, which he did not make, as to cast it into another forth as it pleases him, and especially when marred; the Lord has an undoubted power over men, and a just right to change their, state and circumstances as he pleases; nor have they any reason to complain of him, especially when they have marred themselves by their own sins and transgressions; which was the present case of the house of Israel, or the Jews; see Isaiah 29:16;

behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand; and he can form and fashion it as he pleases, and it is not in the power of the clay to resist and hinder him:

so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel; and I can dispose of you as I please, and put you in what circumstances it seems good unto me, drive you from your land, and scatter you among the nations; nor can you hinder me from doing this, or whatever else is my pleasure. And this his sovereign power and pleasure, and as exercised in a way of mercy and equity, are exemplified in the following cases.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So are ye in mine hand - When a vessel was ruined, the potter did not throw it away, but crushed it together, dashed it back upon the wheel, and began his work afresh, until the clay had taken the predetermined shape. It was God’s purpose that Judaea should become the proper scene for the manifestation of the Messiah, and her sons be fit to receive the Saviour’s teaching and carry the good tidings to all lands. If therefore at any stage of the preparation the Jewish nation took such a course as would have frustrated this purpose of Providence, it was crushed by affliction into an unresisting mass, in which the formative process began again immediately.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 18:6. Cannot I do with you as this potter? — Have I not a right to do with a people whom I have created as reason and justice may require? If they do not answer my intentions, may I not reject and destroy them; and act as this potter, make a new vessel out of that which at first did not succeed in his hands?

It is generally supposed that St. Paul has made a very different use of this similitude from that mentioned above. See Romans 9:20, c. His words are, "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" To this every sensible and pious man will answer, Undoubtedly he has. But would any potter make an exceedingly fair and good vessel on purpose to dash it to pieces when he had done? Surely no! And would or could, the God of infinite perfection and love make millions of immortal souls on purpose for eternal perdition, as the horrible decree of reprobation states? No! This is a lie against all the attributes of God. But does not the text state that he can, out of the same lump, the same mass of human nature, make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? Yes. But the text does not say, what the horrible decree says, that he makes one part, and indeed the greater, for eternal perdition. But what then is the meaning of the text? Why evidently this: As out of the same mass of clay a potter may make a flagon for the table and a certain utensil for the chamber, the one for a more honourable, the other for a less honourable use, though both equally necessary to the owner so God, out of the same flesh and blood, may make the tiller of the field and the prophet of the Most High; the one in a more honourable, the other in a less honourable employ; yet both equally necessary in the world, and equally capable of bringing glory to God in their respective places. But if the vessel be marred in his hand, under his providential and gracious dealings, he may reject it as he did the Jews, and make another vessel, such as he is pleased with, of the Gentiles; yet even these marred vessels, the reprobate Jews, are not finally rejected; for all Israel shall be saved in (through) the Lord, i.e., Jesus Christ. And should the Gentiles act as the Jews have done, then they also shall be cut off, and God will call his Church by another name. Romans 9:20- : and below.


 
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