Jeremiah 18:3
New International Version
So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.

New Living Translation
So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.

English Standard Version
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel.

Berean Standard Bible
So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel.

King James Bible
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

New King James Version
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.

New American Standard Bible
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.

NASB 1995
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.

NASB 1977
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the wheel.

Amplified Bible
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and saw that he was working at the wheel.

Christian Standard Bible
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.

American Standard Version
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was making a work on the wheels.

Contemporary English Version
I went there and saw the potter making clay pots on his pottery wheel.

English Revised Version
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought his work on the wheels.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I went to the potter's house, and he was working there at his wheel.

Good News Translation
So I went there and saw the potter working at his wheel.

International Standard Version
So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was doing work at the potter's wheel.

Majority Standard Bible
So I went down to the potter?s house and saw him working at the wheel.

NET Bible
So I went down to the potter's house and found him working at his wheel.

New Heart English Bible
Then I went down to the potter's house, and look, he was making a work on the wheels.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

World English Bible
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the wheels.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and I go down [to] the potter’s house, and behold, he is doing a work on the stones,

Young's Literal Translation
and I go down to the potter's house, and lo, he is doing a work on the stones,

Smith's Literal Translation
And I shall go down to the potter's house, and behold him doing a work upon the stone.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I went down into the potter's house, and behold he was doing a work on the wheel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I descended into the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel.

New American Bible
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel.

New Revised Standard Version
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then I went down to the potter's house, according to the word of the LORD, and, behold, he was doing work on the wheel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I went down to the house of the Potter, according to the word of LORD JEHOVAH, and, behold, he made a work on the Potter’s wheel
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was at his work on the wheels.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was making a vessel on the stones.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Potter and the Clay
2“Go down at once to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal My message to you.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel. 4But the vessel that he was shaping from the clay became flawed in his hand; so he formed it into another vessel, as it seemed best for him to do.…

Cross References
Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

Romans 9:20-21
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” / Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

Isaiah 29:16
You have turned things upside down, as if the potter were regarded as clay. Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pottery say of the potter, “He has no understanding”?

2 Corinthians 4:7
Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.

Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

Job 10:9
Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?

Job 33:6
I am just like you before God; I was also formed from clay.

Lamentations 4:2
How the precious sons of Zion, once worth their weight in pure gold, are now esteemed as jars of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!

2 Timothy 2:20-21
A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. / So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

Isaiah 45:9
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

Psalm 2:9
You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Acts 9:15
“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.

1 Corinthians 15:47
The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.

1 Corinthians 12:18
But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design.


Treasury of Scripture

Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he worked a work on the wheels.

I went.

Jonah 1:3
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

John 15:14
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Acts 26:19
Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

wheels.

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House Making Potter's Something Stones Wheel Wheels Work Working Wrought
Jeremiah 18
1. Under the type of a potter is shown God's absolute power in disposing of nations.
11. Judgments threatened to Judah for her strange revolt.
18. Jeremiah prays against his conspirators.














So I went down
The phrase "So I went down" indicates obedience and action. Jeremiah, as a prophet, is responding to God's command. The Hebrew root for "went down" is "יָרַד" (yarad), which often implies a physical descent but can also symbolize humility or submission. In the context of Jeremiah's prophetic mission, this descent is not just geographical but spiritual, as he submits to God's will to receive a message. This act of obedience is a model for believers, emphasizing the importance of following God's direction even when the path is not fully understood.

to the potter’s house
The "potter’s house" is a significant location, both literally and metaphorically. In ancient Israel, pottery was a common craft, essential for daily life, and the potter's house would have been a familiar setting. The Hebrew word for potter is "יֹצֵר" (yotser), which also means "creator" or "former," linking the potter's work to God's creative power. This setting serves as a powerful metaphor for God's sovereignty and His ability to shape nations and individuals according to His will. The potter's house becomes a place of revelation, where Jeremiah receives insight into God's relationship with His people.

and I saw him
The phrase "and I saw him" emphasizes the importance of observation and revelation. Jeremiah is not just physically present; he is attentive and ready to receive understanding. The act of seeing in Hebrew, "רָאָה" (ra'ah), often implies perceiving or discerning beyond the physical sight. This suggests that Jeremiah is being given spiritual insight into God's message. For believers, this highlights the need to be spiritually perceptive, to see beyond the surface and understand God's deeper purposes.

working at the wheel
The image of the potter "working at the wheel" is rich with symbolism. The wheel, or "אוֹפַן" (ophan) in Hebrew, represents the process of creation and transformation. The potter's wheel is a tool of continuous motion, symbolizing the ongoing work of God in shaping and molding His creation. The potter's hands, skillfully guiding the clay, illustrate God's intimate involvement in our lives. This imagery reassures believers of God's active role in shaping their destinies, encouraging trust in His perfect design and timing. The process may involve pressure and change, but it ultimately leads to a vessel of purpose and beauty.

(3) He wrought a work on the wheels.--Literally, the two wheels. The nature of the work is described more graphically in Ecclus. xxxviii. 29, 30. The potter sat moving one horizontal wheel with his feet, while a smaller one was used, as it revolved, to fashion the shape of the vessel he was making with his hands. The image had been already used of God's creative work in Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9; Isaiah 64:8.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So I went down
וָאֵרֵ֖ד (wā·’ê·rêḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

to the potter’s
הַיּוֹצֵ֑ר (hay·yō·w·ṣêr)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3335: To mould into a, form, as a, potter, to determine

house
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

and saw
ה֛וּא‪‬ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

him working
עֹשֶׂ֥ה (‘ō·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

at
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the wheel.
הָאָבְנָֽיִם׃ (hā·’ā·ḇə·nā·yim)
Article | Noun - md
Strong's 70: A pair of stones, a potter's wheel, a midwife's stool


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 18:3 Then I went down to the potter's (Jer.)
Jeremiah 18:2
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