TRV
Translation
King James Version
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Complete Jewish Bible
Similarly, at another time, I may speak about building and planting a nation or kingdom;
Berean Standard Bible
And if at another time I announce that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom,
American Standard Version
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
World English Bible Messianic
At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Geneva Bible (1599)
And I wil speake suddenly concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdome to builde it and to plant it.
Young's Literal Translation
And the moment I speak concerning a nation, And concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant,
In the KJVVerse 19,394 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Jeremiah 18 verses 1–10
1 ¶ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And 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.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
6 O 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.
7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
10 If 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.
The prophet is here sent to the potter's house (he knew where to find it), not to preach a sermon as before to the gates of Jerusalem, but to prepare a sermon, or rather to receive it ready prepared. Those needed not to study their sermons that had them, as he had this, by immediate inspiration. "Go to the potter's house, and observe how he manages his work, and there I will cause thee, by silent whispers, to hear my words. There thou shalt receive a message, to be delivered to the people." Note, Those that would know God's mind must observe his appointments, and attend where they may hear his words. The prophet was never disobedient to the heavenly vision, and therefore went to the potter's house (Jer 18:3) and took notice how he wrought his work upon the wheels, just as he pleased, with a great deal of ease, and in a little time. And (Jer 18:4) when a lump of clay that he designed to form into one shape either proved too stiff, or had a stone in it, or some way or other came to be marred in his hand, he presently turned it into another shape; if it will not serve for a vessel of honour, it will serve for a vessel of dishonour, just as seems good to the potter. It is probable that Jeremiah knew well enough how the potter wrought his work, and how easily he threw it into what form he pleased; but he must go and observe it now, that, having the idea of it fresh in his mind, he might the more readily and distinctly apprehend that truth which God designed thereby to represent to him, and might the more intelligently explain it to the people. God used similitudes by his servants the prophets (Hos 12:10), and it was requisite that they should themselves understand the similitudes they used. Ministers will make a good use of their converse with the business and affairs of this life if they learn thereby to speak more plainly and familiarly to people about the things of God, and to expound scripture comparisons. For they ought to make all their knowledge some way or other serviceable to their profession.
Now let us see what the message is which Jeremiah receives, and is entrusted with the delivery of, at the potter's house. While he looks carefully upon the potter's work, God darts into his mind these two great truths, which he must preach to the house of Israel: -
I. That God has both an incontestable authority and an irresistible ability to form and fashion kingdoms and nations as he pleases, so as to serve his own purposes: "Cannot I do with you as this potter, saith the Lord? Jer 18:6. Have not I as absolute a power over you in respect both of might and of right?" Nay, God has a clearer title to a dominion over us than the potter has over the clay; for the potter only gives it its form, whereas we have both matter and form from God. As the clay is in the potter's hand to be moulded and shaped as he pleases, so are you in my hand. This intimates, 1. That God has an incontestable sovereignty over us, is not debtor to us, may dispose of us as he thinks fit, and is not accountable to us, and that it would be as absurd for us to dispute this as for the clay to quarrel with the potter. 2. That it is a very easy thing with God to make what use he pleases of us and what changes he pleases with us, and that we cannot resist him. One turn of the hand, one turn of the wheel, quite alters the shape of the clay, makes it a vessel, unmakes it, new-makes it. Thus are our times in God's hand, and not in our own, and it is in vain for us to strive with him. It is spoken here of nations; the most politic, the most potent, are what God is pleased to make them, and no other. See this explained by Job (Job 12:23), He increaseth the nations and destroyeth them; he enlargeth the nations and straiteneth them again. See Psa 107:33 etc., and compare Job 34:29. All nations before God are as the drop of the bucket, soon wiped away, or the small dust of the balance, soon blown away (Isa 40:15), and therefore, no doubt, as easily managed as the clay by the potter. 3. That God will not be a loser by any in his glory, at long run, but, if he be not glorified by them, he will be glorified upon them. If the potter's vessel be marred for one use, it shall serve for another; those that will not be monuments of mercy shall be monuments of justice. The Lord has made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil, Pro 16:4. God formed us out of the clay (Job 33:6), nay, and we are still as clay in his hands (Isa 64:8); and has not he the same power over us that the potter has over the clay? (Rom 9:21), and are not we bound to submit, as the clay to the potter's wisdom and will? Isa 29:15, Isa 29:16; Isa 45:9.
II. That, in the exercise of this authority and ability, he always goes by fixed rules of equity and goodness. He dispenses favours indeed in a way of sovereignty, but never punishes by arbitrary power. High is his right hand, yet he rules not with a high hand, but, as it follows there, Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, Psa 89:13, Psa 89:14. God asserts his despotic power, and tells us what he might do, but at the same time assures us that he will act as a righteous and merciful Judge. 1. When God is coming against us in ways of judgment we may be sure that it is for our sins, which shall appear by this, that national repentance will stop the progress of the judgments (Jer 18:7, Jer 18:8): If God speak concerning a nation to pluck up its fences that secure it, and so lay it open, its fruit-trees that adorn and enrich it, and so leave it desolate - to pull down its fortifications, that the enemy may have liberty to enter in, its habitations, that the inhabitants may be under a necessity of going out, and so destroy it as either a vineyard or a city is destroyed - in this case, if that nation take the alarm, repent of their sins and reform their lives, turn every one from his evil way and return to God, God will graciously accept them, will not proceed in his controversy, will return in mercy to them, and, though he cannot change his mind, he will change his way, so that it may be said, He repents him of the evil he said he would do to them. Thus often in the time of the Judges, when the oppressed people were penitent people, still God raised them up saviours; and, when they turned to God, their affairs immediately took a new turn. It was Nineveh's case, and we wish it had oftener been Jerusalem's; see Ch2 7:14. It is an undoubted truth that a sincere conversion from the evil of sin will be an effectual prevention of the evil of punishment; and God can as easily raise up a penitent people from their ruins as the potter can make anew the vessel of clay when it was marred in his hand. 2. When God is coming towards us in ways of mercy, if any stop be given to the progress of that mercy, it is nothing but sin that gives it (Jer 18:9, Jer 18:10): If God speak concerning a nation to build and to plant it, to advance and establish all the true interests of it, it is his husbandly and his building (Co1 3:9), and, if he speak in favour of it, it is done, it is increased, it is enriched, it is enlarged, its trade flourishes, its government is settled in good hands, and all its affairs prosper and its enterprises succeed. but if this nation, which God is thus loading with benefits, do evil in his sight and obey not his voice, - if it lose its virtue, and become debauched and profane, - if religion grow into contempt, and vice to get to be fashionable, and so be kept in countenance and reputation, and there be a general decay of serious godliness among them, - then God will turn his hand against them, will pluck up what he was planting, and pull down what he was building (Jer 45:4); the good work that was in the doing shall stand still and be let fall, and what favours were further designed shall be withheld; and this is called his repenting of the good wherewith he said he would benefit them, as he changed his purpose concerning Eli's house (Sa1 2:30) and hurried Israel back into the wilderness when he had brought them within sight of Canaan. Note, Sin is the great mischief-maker between God and a people; it forfeits the benefit of his promises and spoils the success of their prayers. It defeats his kind intentions concerning them (Hos 7:1) and baffles their pleasing expectations from him. It ruins their comforts, prolongs their grievances, brings them into straits, and retards their deliverances, Isa 59:1, Isa 59:2.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–10. Public domain.
Copy as
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Jeremiah
(Chapter XVIII — Verses 1 and following) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there you shall hear my words. So I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working on a wheel (or stones). And the vessel that he was making of clay with his hands was spoiled in his hands; so he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to him to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Can I not do with you, house of Israel, as this potter does? (Vulgate: Can I not, according to the Hebrew?) The Lord says, behold, as clay in the hand of a potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Suddenly (or at the highest point), I will speak against a nation and against a kingdom, to uproot (or remove) and to destroy, and to utterly destroy it. If that nation turns away from the evil that I have spoken against it, I will relent and not carry out the harm that I planned to do to it. And suddenly (or at the highest point), I will speak about a nation and a kingdom, to build and to plant it. If he does evil in my eyes, so that he does not hear my voice, I will repent of the good that I have spoken to do to him. It is through all the senses that one arrives at the judgment and understanding of the mind, through hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, but it is retained more by the mind, which is seen by the eyes. Hence, the Prophet is commanded to go to the house of the potter and there to hear the commandments of the Lord. And when, he says, I had gone and descended into the house of the potter, he himself was working on the wheel, which, enticed by the ambiguity of the seventy-word, the stones were moved. For by Abanim, that is, the wheel of the potter, is meant the quality and diversity of the place and the pronunciation, and the instrument, that is, the wheel of the potter, and the stones. And when, he said, I saw a vessel being made of clay, suddenly it was dissipated, by the providence of God acting, so that the hand of the craftsman, while unaware, would shape a parable by its own mistake. And that potter, who had lost the vessel made of clay, with the wheel spinning, made another for himself as he saw fit. And immediately the Lord said to the Prophet: If the potter, he said, has the power to make again from the same clay what had been dissipated: I, in you, who as far as is possible in you, seem to have perished, will I not be able to do this? And in order to signify free will, he says that he both announces evil to a nation and kingdom, or to that one, and again good things: yet not that this will actually happen that he himself has predicted; but rather the opposite will occur, so that good things happen to evil people if they have repented, and bad things happen to good people if they have turned to sin after making promises. And we say this, not because God is unaware that this or that nation or kingdom will come into existence, but because he allows a person to follow their own will, so that they may receive rewards or punishments according to their own choice and their own merit. Not immediately will everything that happens be the accomplishment of man, but of his grace who has bestowed all things: so that the freedom of choice must be reserved, in such a way that the grace of the bestower excels in all things, according to that prophetic saying: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, he watches in vain who guards it (Psalm 126:1-2). For it is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs, but of God who shows mercy (Romans 9).
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Jeremiah 18:9 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Jeremiah 18:9 encapsulates a profound declaration of God's sovereign and dynamic interaction with nations, revealing His conditional intent to bestow favor and prosperity. Situated within the powerful analogy of the potter and the clay, this verse articulates the divine decree concerning a nation or kingdom with the specific purpose of establishing and flourishing it. It underscores that while God possesses ultimate authority over the destinies of peoples, His positive actions of building and planting are contingent upon their moral choices and responsiveness to His will, thereby reflecting His restorative justice and covenantal faithfulness.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 18:9 skillfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message. The overarching literary framework for the entire chapter is a vivid Analogy, specifically the Potter and the Clay, which serves as a powerful visual metaphor illustrating God's absolute sovereignty and His dynamic power to shape, reshape, or even break nations according to His will and their moral condition. Within this verse, there is a striking Contrast with the preceding verses (Jeremiah 18:7-8), which speak of God's intent to "pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy." Verse 9 presents the antithetical, positive actions of "build and plant," thereby emphasizing the conditional and responsive nature of God's decrees. Anthropomorphism is evident in God "speaking" concerning a nation, attributing human communication to the divine to convey His active, personal involvement and authoritative pronouncements in human affairs. Furthermore, the phrases "to build" and "to plant" function as rich Metaphors drawn from architecture and agriculture, respectively. These terms are used figuratively to describe the establishment of prosperity, stability, and organic growth for a nation, painting a comprehensive picture of enduring well-being and secure flourishing.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 18:9 profoundly articulates God's dynamic sovereignty, demonstrating that His decrees concerning nations are not immutable pronouncements fixed regardless of human action, but are responsive to human moral agency. This verse, alongside its counterpart in Jeremiah 18:7-8, establishes a foundational principle of conditional covenant and divine responsiveness. God's ultimate desire is to "build and to plant," signifying His benevolent intention for the flourishing, stability, and growth of His creation. However, His actions are directly influenced by the choices of humanity, illustrating that while He is sovereign, He interacts with His creation in a morally consistent, just, and merciful manner. This theological truth underscores the critical importance of national righteousness and repentance as pathways to divine favor and blessing, rather than judgment, highlighting the profound responsibility of human choice.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 18:9 offers a profoundly hopeful and simultaneously challenging message of responsibility for both nations and individuals. It serves as a powerful reminder that God is not a distant, disengaged deity but an active, deeply invested participant in human history, intimately concerned with the well-being and moral trajectory of His creation. His expressed desire is to "build and to plant," to bring about flourishing, stability, and growth in the lives of peoples and individuals. This divine principle extends far beyond national borders, resonating deeply with our personal lives and communities. Just as God responds to the collective choices of a nation, He responds to our individual and corporate obedience or disobedience. If we, as individuals or as a community of faith, genuinely turn from wickedness and align our lives with His righteous commands, we can confidently anticipate His restorative hand to "build and plant" us. This translates into experiencing profound spiritual growth, cultivating stability in our walk with Him, and witnessing the flourishing of His divine purposes in our lives. It compels us to cultivate a posture of humility, repentance, and sustained obedience, trusting that God's ultimate desire is to bless, establish, and cause us to thrive in His truth and grace.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Jeremiah 18:9 imply that God changes His mind?
Answer: No, this verse does not imply that God changes His mind in a capricious or inconsistent manner, which would contradict His immutable character. Rather, it illustrates His dynamic and morally responsive nature in dealing with humanity. The "change" is not in God's character, His ultimate purposes, or His eternal decrees, but in His action in response to human repentance or persistence in sin. God's declarations are not rigid, unconditional pronouncements, but are made within the context of His covenant relationship with humanity. As seen in the broader passage of Jeremiah 18:7-10, His intention to bring judgment can be averted by genuine repentance, and conversely, His intention to bless can be withdrawn if a nation turns to wickedness. This demonstrates His perfect justice, profound mercy, and unwavering consistency with His revealed character.
What is the significance of the terms "build" and "plant" for a nation?
Answer: The terms "build" (Hebrew: bânâh) and "plant" (Hebrew: nâṭaʻ) are rich, complementary metaphors signifying comprehensive prosperity, stability, and enduring establishment for a nation. To "build" a nation refers to its structural integrity, security, and development, implying the construction of stable institutions, a thriving societal framework, and a strong defense. It speaks to the tangible aspects of national strength and order. To "plant" a nation speaks to its organic growth, deep roots, and sustained flourishing, much like a tree firmly planted that yields abundant fruit over time. It signifies deep-seated security, vitality, and productivity that ensures longevity. Together, these terms paint a holistic picture of a nation that is not only structurally sound and secure but also deeply rooted, growing organically, and producing good, contrasting sharply with the "plucking up" and "pulling down" of judgment, thereby highlighting God's ultimate desire for the flourishing and well-being of peoples who walk in righteousness.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Jeremiah 18:9 speaks of God's conditional dealings with Old Testament nations, its ultimate fulfillment and profound spiritual application are most perfectly realized in Jesus Christ and the new covenant community He establishes. Christ is the supreme "builder" and "planter" of God's eternal kingdom. He famously declared, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," signifying His foundational work in establishing a spiritual nation, a people redeemed by His precious blood. Through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, Jesus inaugurated a new covenant where individuals, irrespective of their earthly nationality, can be spiritually "planted" into His living body, the Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). He cultivates His people, enabling them to bear abundant fruit for His glory, as He taught, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit" (John 15:5). The conditional aspect of Jeremiah 18:9 finds its New Testament parallel in the call to abide in Christ and walk in obedient faith, for it is through Him that believers are continually built up in their most holy faith and planted firmly in God's grace, becoming a spiritual house and a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Thus, God's enduring desire to "build and plant" culminates in the redemptive work of Christ, establishing His eternal kingdom and nurturing His people for everlasting life and fruitfulness.