This is the word
The phrase "This is the word" signifies a divine message or revelation. In the context of the Old Testament, "the word" often refers to a direct communication from God to His prophets. This underscores the authority and authenticity of the message that follows. The concept of "the word" is foundational in Scripture, as seen in John 1:1, where Jesus is referred to as the Word, indicating the ultimate revelation of God.

that came to Jeremiah
Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," was called by God to deliver messages to the people of Judah during a tumultuous period in their history. His ministry spanned the reigns of several kings, including Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. Jeremiah's role was to warn of impending judgment due to the people's unfaithfulness and to call them to repentance. His messages were often met with resistance and persecution, reflecting the hardness of the people's hearts.

from the LORD:
The use of "LORD" in all capital letters indicates the translation of the Hebrew name Yahweh, the covenant name of God. This emphasizes the personal and relational aspect of God's communication with His people. Yahweh is the God who made a covenant with Israel, and His messages through Jeremiah are rooted in this covenant relationship. The authority of the message is underscored by its divine origin, reminding the audience of God's sovereignty and faithfulness.

1. Jeremiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah. Known for his perseverance and faithfulness amidst persecution and rejection.

2. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who communicates His will and purposes to His people through His prophets.

3. The Word of the LORD
Represents God's direct communication and revelation to His chosen messenger, Jeremiah, emphasizing the divine origin and authority of the message.The Authority of God's Word
God's word to Jeremiah underscores the authority and reliability of divine revelation. As believers, we are called to trust and obey God's word as the ultimate guide for our lives.

The Role of the Prophet
Jeremiah's role as a prophet reminds us of the importance of being faithful messengers of God's truth, even when faced with opposition or indifference.

God's Personal Communication
The personal nature of God's communication with Jeremiah encourages us to seek a personal relationship with God, where we are attentive to His voice through prayer and Scripture.

The Consistency of God's Message
The continuity of God's message through different prophets highlights His unchanging nature and the consistency of His purposes throughout history.

Responding to God's Call
Just as Jeremiah responded to God's call, we are challenged to be open and responsive to God's leading in our own lives, ready to fulfill His purposes.XVIII.

(1) The word which came to Jeremiah.--The message that follows comes in close sequence upon that of the preceding chapter, i.e., probably before the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim. It has the character of a last warning to king and people, and its rejection is followed in its turn by the more decisive use of the same symbol in Jeremiah 19

Verses 1-6. - The simple and familiar craft of the potter becomes a parable of religious truth (comp. Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9; Isaiah 64:8; Ecclus 33:13; Romans 9:20; and the account of man's creation in Genesis 2:7, which has doubtless given rise to the figure). God has the sovereign right to do as he wills with his own handiwork; thus much can be expressed by the figure. But the moral element in Jeremiah's teaching stands outside this, viz. that the Divine action is governed, not by mere caprice, but a regard for character. "The thought is not so much the arbitrariness as the patience of God, who will bring men to be what he would have them be in the end, as the potter eventually twists the clay to the shape he originally intended, stubborn as the clay may be." But whether Jeremiah meant the lesson which Mr. Maurice deduces from his words may be gravely doubted. It is not of individuals that the prophet is thinking, but of the nation, and not of the nation as destined to be all but certainly saved, but as placed before a serious and awful decision. (For different lessons derived from the same figure, see the ' Rabbi Ben Ezra' of Browning.) Egypt and Palestine were, as it seems, at one in the extreme simplicity of the potter's art. Dr. Birch has given us an account of the Egyptian potter at his work, as he appears in the pictorial representations at Beni Hassan ('Ancient Pottery,' pp. 33-35), and Dr. Thomson has described the procedure of a potter in modern Palestine ('The Land and the Book,' p. 520). The chief difference between them seems to be that in Egypt the wheel was turned with the left hand, and the vase shaped with the right, while in modern Palestine the wheel is turned with the fool "Taking a lump in his hand," says Dr. Thomson, "he placed it on the top of the wheel (which revolves horizontally), and smoothed it into a low cone, like the upper end of a sugar-loaf; then thrusting his thumb into the top of it, he opened a hole down through the center, and this he constantly widened by pressing the edges of the revolving cone between his hands. As it enlarged and became thinner, he gave it whatever shape he pleased with the utmost ease and expedition." It should be observed that in ver. 3 the "wheels," or rather "two wheels," spoken of are simply the two round plates which formed the horizontal lathe of the potter.

Parallel Commentaries ...


This is the word
הַדָּבָר֙ (had·dā·ḇār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

that
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

came
הָיָ֣ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

to
אֶֽל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Jeremiah
יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ (yir·mə·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3414: Jeremiah -- 'Yah loosens', the name of a number of Israelites

from the LORD:
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah (Jer.)