Lexical Summary kerameus: Potter Original Word: κεραμεύς Strong's Exhaustive Concordance potter. From keramos; a potter -- potter. see GREEK keramos NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kerannumi Definition a potter NASB Translation potter (1), Potter's (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2763: κεραμεύςκεραμεύς, κεραμέως, ὁ (κεράννυμι), a potter: Matthew 27:7, 10; Romans 9:21. (Homer, Hesiod, Aristophanes, Plato, Plutarch, others; the Sept. several times for יוצֵר.) Topical Lexicon Occupational Context in First-Century Judea The term designates a craftsman who fashions household and cultic vessels from clay. Potteries dotted the hills around Jerusalem, drawing on local clay deposits and the kiln-friendly breezes of the Kidron and Hinnom valleys. Pots were indispensable: storage jars, oil lamps, ceremonial basins, and ossuaries. The trade combined humble manual labor with keen artistic skill, yielding an occupation easily recognized by Jesus’ contemporaries and thus ideally suited for parables and prophetic symbolism. Old Testament Background The potter-and-clay motif originates in Genesis 2:7, where the LORD “formed” (Hebrew yatsar, the verb later applied to shaping clay) the man from the dust. Prophets picked up the image to proclaim divine sovereignty and human accountability. Jeremiah’s visit to the potter’s house (Jeremiah 18:1-6) illustrates God’s right to rework a marred vessel; Isaiah 64:8 confesses, “We are the clay, You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” Such passages prepare readers to recognize Strong’s 2763 as the earthly counterpart to the sovereign Creator. New Testament Usage Matthew 27:7 and Matthew 27:10 record the purchase of a “potter’s field,” the ground presumably depleted of usable clay and thus sold cheaply for burials. The Evangelist cites this event as fulfillment of prophetic words concerning Messiah’s rejection. Romans 9:21 elevates the trade to a theological axiom: “Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special and another for common use?” Here the Apostle Paul appeals to the potter’s undisputed authority to defend God’s freedom in election and mercy. Symbolic and Theological Themes • Divine Sovereignty: The potter’s uncontested control over the clay mirrors the Creator’s unrestricted rule over His creation (Romans 9:21; Isaiah 29:16). Christological Implications In purchasing the potter’s field with Judas’ blood money, the chief priests inadvertently showcase substitutionary atonement: defiled silver buys ground for the defiled dead, while the Innocent dies outside the city to sanctify those who come to Him. The potter’s field thus foreshadows the redemption of outsiders—“foreigners” (Matthew 27:7)—anticipating the Gospel’s reach to the Gentiles. Pastoral and Homiletical Applications • Assurance: Believers find comfort that the same sovereign hands shaping cosmic purposes also fashion individual lives. Archaeological and Historical Notes Excavations south of the Temple Mount have uncovered kilns, wasters (discarded mis-fired vessels), and clay extraction pits that match the description of a field exhausted by potters’ quarrying. Such sites lie adjacent to the Akeldama (Field of Blood) tradition, lending geographical plausibility to Matthew’s narrative. Connection with Salvation History From Adam formed of dust, through Israel likened to clay on the wheel, to the crucified Messiah whose betrayal money bought a potter’s field, and forward to the Church molded into honorable vessels, Strong’s 2763 threads the storyline of Scripture. The humble craftsman’s shop becomes a classroom where God teaches His eternal purposes in election, redemption, and sanctification. Echoes in Early Christian Writings The Didache urges believers to become “good clay” in the Master’s hands; Irenaeus appeals to the potter to defend bodily resurrection. Such usage underscores how firmly the image of 2763 lodged in the Church’s consciousness, continuing to shape theology and devotion long after the last New Testament page was penned. Forms and Transliterations κεραμεί κεραμείς κεραμευς κεραμεύς κεραμεὺς Κεραμεως Κεραμέως Kerameos Kerameōs Keraméos Keraméōs kerameus kerameùsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 27:7 N-GMSGRK: Ἀγρὸν τοῦ Κεραμέως εἰς ταφὴν NAS: bought the Potter's Field KJV: with them the potter's field, to INT: field of the potter for a burial place Matthew 27:10 N-GMS Romans 9:21 N-NMS Strong's Greek 2763 |
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