Ésaïe 29:16

Darby's French Translation

Le potier sera-t-il estimé comme l'argile, pour que la chose faite dise de celui qui l'a faite: Il ne m'a pas faite? et que ce qui est formé dise de celui qui l'a formé: Il n'a pas d'intelligence?

Parallel Translations

La Bible David Martin (1744)
Ce que vous renversez ne sera-t-il pas réputé comme l'argile d'un potier? même, l'ouvrage dira-t-il de celui qui l'a fait : il ne m'a point fait? et la chose formée dira-t-elle de celui qui l'a formée; il n'y entendait rien?

La Bible Ostervald (1996)
Pervers que vous êtes, l'argile sera-t-elle estimée à l'égal du potier? tellement que l'ouvrage dise de celui qui l'a fait: Il ne m'a point fait; et que l'œuvre dise de l'ouvrier: Il n'y entend rien?

Louis Segond (1910)
Quelle perversité est la vôtre! Le potier doit-il être considéré comme de l'argile, Pour que l'ouvrage dise de l'ouvrier: Il ne m'a point fait? Pour que le vase dise du potier: Il n'a point d'intelligence?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

your turning: Isaiah 24:1, Acts 17:6

as the potter's: Isaiah 45:9, Isaiah 45:10, Jeremiah 18:1-10, Romans 9:19, Romans 9:21

or shall: Isaiah 45:11, Psalms 94:8, Psalms 94:9

Reciprocal: Isaiah 64:8 - are the clay Romans 9:20 - Shall

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Surely your turning of things upside down,.... Revolving things in their minds, throwing them into different shapes, forming various schemes, and inverting the order of things by their deep counsels, and seeking to hide things from the Lord: or, "O the perverseness of you" z; in imagining and saying that no eye saw, nor anyone knew, what they did, not the Lord himself. So the Vulgate Latin version, "this is your perverse thought"; namely, what is before related. The Targum is,

"do you seek to pervert your works?''

Our version joins it with what follows; though a stop should be made here, because of the accent:

shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: their perverse counsels and designs shall be made of no more account with God, and be as easily turned about and brought to nought, as the clay can be formed, and shaped, and marred by the potter, at his pleasure: "if" or "surely as the potter's clay shall it be esteemed", as the words may be rendered; or it may refer to their persons, as well as their counsels. So the Septuagint version, "shall ye not be reckoned as the potter's clay?" ye shall. To which agrees the Targum,

"behold, as the clay in the hand of the potter, so are ye accounted before me;''

who could do with them just as seemed good in his sight. De Dieu renders them, "shall the potter be reckoned as the clay?" Such was the stupidity and perverseness of the Jews, in endeavouring to hide their counsels from the Lord, and in fancying that he did not see and know them, that they thought God was like themselves; which is all one as if the potter was reckoned as the clay, for they were the clay, and God the potter. The Vulgate Latin version is, "as if the clay could think against the potter"; contrive schemes to counterwork him; which, to imagine, was not more stupid, than to think they could do anything against the Lord:

for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? to say that God does not know what is done by his creatures, is in effect to say that he did not make them; for he that made them must needs know their actions, and even the very thoughts of their hearts; as he that makes a watch knows all that is in it, and the motions of it:

or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? or judgment, did not know how to make it as it should be. So the Septuagint version, "thou hast not made me wisely"; or he did not understand the work itself, the make and fashion of it. So the Targum,

"thou does not understand me.''

This might as well be said, as for a creature to pretend that God does not know what and where he is, or what he is doing.

z So some in Gataker; הפככם "subversio vestra", Pagninus, Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Surely your turning of things upside down - Your perversion of all things. They had no just views of truth. They deemed mere formality to be all that was required. They attempted to conceal their plans even from Yahweh; and everything in the opinions and practice of the nation had become perverted and erroneous. There has been much diversity in rendering this phrase. Luther renders it, ‘O how perverse ye are.’ Lowth renders it,

‘Perverse as ye are! shall the potter be esteemed as the clay?’

Rosenmuller also accords with this interpretation, and renders it, ‘O your perversity,’ etc. The sense of the passage seems to be this: ‘Your “changing of things” is just as absurd as it would be for the thing formed to say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? It is as absurd for you to find fault with the government of God as it would be for the clay to complain of want of skill in the potter. You complain of God’s laws, and worship Him according to the commandments of people. You complain of his requirements, and offer to him the service of the mouth and the lip, and witchold the heart. You suppose that God does not see you, and do your deeds in darkness. All this supposes that God is destitute of wisdom, and cannot see what is done, and it is just as absurd as it would be in the clay to complain that the potter who fashions it has no understanding.’

Shall be esteemed ... - The “literal” translation of this passage would be, ‘Your perverseness is as if the potter should be esteemed as the clay;’ that is, as if he was no more qualified to form anything than the clay itself.

For shall the work ... - This passage is quoted by the apostle Paul Romans 9:20-21 to show the right which God has to do with his creatures as shall seem good in his sight, and the impropriety of complaining of his distinguishing mercy in choosing to life those whom he pleases. The sense of the passage is, that it would be absurd for that which is made to complain of the maker as having no intelligence, and no right to make it as he does. It would be absurd in the piece of pottery to complain of the potter as if he had no skill; and it is equally absurd in a man to complain of God, or to regard him as destitute of wisdom.