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 Isa 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.
Bible Commentary
Jeremiah 18:6
Jeremiah 18:6
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
The Daily Devotional
One devotional. Every morning.
The full reading, the passage behind it, and where to go deeper — in your inbox before the day starts. No ads, ever.
We'll send one email to confirm it's really you. Unsubscribe in one tap, any time.
Continue tomorrow
Turn Bible study into a daily habit
Read today's devotional, save your progress, and receive a gentle daily reminder.
Recommended reading
More for Jeremiah 18:6
Continue with other commentaries and DiscipleDeck content connected to this verse, chapter, or topic.
Other commentaries
Jeremiah 18 — OverviewJeremiah 18 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleIn this chapter we have, I. A general declaration of God's ways in
dealing with nations and kingdoms, that he can easily do what he will
with them, as easily as the potter can with the clay (ver. 1-6), but
that…Jeremiah 18 — OverviewJeremiah 18 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgeJeremiah 18:1, Under the type of a potter is shewn God’s absolute power in disposing of nations; Jeremiah 18:11, Judgments threatened to Judah for her strange revolt; Jeremiah 18:18, Jeremiah prays against his…Jeremiah 18 — OverviewJeremiah 18 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThis chapter expresses the sovereign power of God ever his creatures, and his usual methods of dealing with them; it threatens destruction to the Jews for their idolatry; and is closed with the prophet's complaint of…Jeremiah 18:1-10Jeremiah 18:1-10 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThe prophet is here sent to the potter's house (he knew where to find
it), not to preach a sermon as before to the gates of Jerusalem, but to
prepare a sermon, or rather to receive it ready prepared. Those needed…Jeremiah 18:1-6Jeremiah 18:1-6 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe simple and familiar craft of the potter becomes a parable of religious truth (comp. Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9; Isaiah 64:8; Ecclesiasticus 33:13; Romans 9:20; and the account of man's creation in Genesis 2:7, which…Jeremiah 18:1-6Jeremiah 18:1-6 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe potter and the day.
The relations of the potter to his clay afford a familiar and apt illustration of the relations between God and his human family. At first sight this illustration suggests a harsh view of…
commentaryRecommended resourceExplore this resource connected to the verse you are reading.devotionRecommended resourceExplore this resource connected to the verse you are reading.commentaryRecommended resourceExplore this resource connected to the verse you are reading.sermonThe Potter and the ClayThe Potter and the Clay Jeremiah 18:1–6 — “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will...George Whitefield