Bible Strands
Jeremiah 18:3
So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God commands Jeremiah to descend to a potter’s workshop to receive a prophetic sign regarding divine sovereignty and human vulnerability (Jeremiah 18:2). The prophet obeys the directive and arrives at the location to witness the artisan’s craft.
The words — The Hebrew phrase וָאֵרֵד בֵּית הַיּוֹצֵר (va'ereh beit hayyoṣer) translates literally as "and I went down to the house of the potter." The verb עֹשֶׂה (‘oseh) denotes active labor, describing the craftsman engaged in his work.
The thread — The motif of obeying a divine directive to fulfill a specific purpose appears in John 15:14 and Acts 26:19. Jonah 1:3 provides a contrasting pattern of fleeing from the Lord’s presence rather than approaching a designated site.
Why it lands — The text records a physical descent and a witnessed process, establishing the scene before any interpretation of the potter’s actions. It requires the reader to recognize that divine instruction precedes human observation and that obedience shapes what is seen.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Cross-references
- John 15:14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.
- Jonah 1:3 Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
- Acts 26:19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.