Jeremiah 18

Jeremiah · Chapter 18

Jeremiah 18:17

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,2Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.3Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.4And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.5Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,6O 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.7At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;8If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.9And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;10If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.11Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.12And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.13Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.14Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?15Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;16To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.17I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.18Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.19Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.20Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.21Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.22Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.23Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
17I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity.”I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
like a wind ofכְּרֽוּחַ־ke-RU-ach-H7307H
spirit

רוּחַ (ru.ach) : spirit 1) wind, breath, mind, spirit 1a) breath 1b) wind 1b1) of heaven 1b2) quarter (of wind), side 1b3) breath of air 1b4) air, gas 1b5) vain, empty thing 1c) spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation) 1c1) spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour 1c2) courage 1c3) temper, anger 1c4) impatience, patience 1c5) spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented) 1c6) disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse 1c7) prophetic spirit 1d) spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals) …

[the] eastקָדִ֥יםka-DIMH6921
east

קָדִים (qa.dim) 1) east, east wind 1a) east (of direction) 1b) east wind

I will scatter themאֲפִיצֵ֖ם'a-fi-TZEMH6327A
to scatter

פּוּץ (puts) 1) to scatter, be dispersed, be scattered 1a) (Qal) to be dispersed, be scattered 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be scattered 1b2) to be spread abroad 1c) (Hiphil) to scatter 1d) Hithpael) scatter

to beforeלִפְנֵ֣יlif-NEIH6440G
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

an enemyאוֹיֵ֑ב'o-YEVH0341
enemy

אֹיֵב (o.yev) 1) (Qal) enemy 1a) personal 1b) national

backעֹ֧רֶף'O-refH6203
neck

עֹ֫רֶף (o.reph) 1) neck, back of the neck, back 1a) back of the neck 1a1) of fleeing foe 1a2) of apostasy (fig.) 1b) stiff of neck, obstinate (fig.)

and notוְלֹֽא־ve-lo'-H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

faceפָנִ֛יםfa-NIMH6440H
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

I will show themאֶרְאֵ֖ם'er-'EMH7200G
to see: see

רָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) …

on [the] day ofבְּי֥וֹםbe-YOMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

disaster theirאֵידָֽם׃ ס'ei-DAMH0343
calamity

אֵיד (ed) 1) distress, burden, calamity 1a) burden (of the righteous) 1b) calamity (of nation) 1c) disaster (of wicked) 1d) day of calamity

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.