Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary
Jeremiah 18:20
Jeremiah had been laboring earnestly to avert the ruin of his country, but the Jews treated him as farmers do some noxious animal which wastes their fields, and for which they dig pitfalls.
Jeremiah had been laboring earnestly to avert the ruin of his country, but the Jews treated him as farmers do some noxious animal which wastes their fields, and for which they dig pitfalls.
Verse Jeremiah 18:20. _THEY HAVE DIGGED A PIT FOR MY SOUL._] For my _life_; this they wish to take away. _STOOD BEFORE THEE TO SPEAK GOOD FOR THEM_] I was their continual intercessor....
CHAPTER 18 The Potter and the Clay _ 1. In the potter's house and the message (Jeremiah 18:1) _ 2. The plot against the prophet and his prayer (Jeremiah 18:18) Jeremiah 18:1. He was comm
THE POTTER AND THE CLAY. The potter (Jeremiah 18:1) moulding his clay on the upper stone, which he makes revolve by his feet resting on the connected lower stone, is compared with Yahweh in His contro...
SHALL... ? Figure of speech _Erotesis._ my soul. me (emphatic). Hebrew. _nephesh._ App-18....
See introd. note to section....
_Shall evil be recompensed for good_?] Jeremiah had interceded for the people in times past, e.g. ch. Jeremiah 14:7; Jeremiah 14:21....
B. The Prayer of the Prophet Jeremiah 18:19-23 TRANSLATION (19) Give ear unto me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of my adversaries. (20) Shall evil be recompensed instead of good? For they are digg...
Shall 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. SHALL EVIL BE RECOMPENSED...
1-17. Figure of the potter's clay....
THEY HAVE DIGGED A PIT FOR MY SOUL. — The image has become so familiar that we have all but lost its vividness. What it meant here (as in Psalms 57:6) was that the man was treated as a beast, the prop...
הַ יְשֻׁלַּ֤ם תַּֽחַת ־טֹובָה֙ רָעָ֔ה כִּֽי ־
CHAPTER XI THE DIVINE POTTER Jeremiah 18:1 JEREMIAH goes down into the Lower Town, or the valley between the upper and lower city; and there his attention is arrested by a potter sitting at work bef...
We now come to the second series of messages before the fall of Jerusalem (18-20), which consists of declarations of God's absolute supremacy. In preparation for this, Jeremiah was sent to the house o...
_Remember, &c. This is spoken in the person of Christ, persecuted by the Jews, and prophetically denouncing the evils that should fall upon them in punishment for their crimes. (Challoner) --- Jeremia...
Prayer is the sure relief of an afflicted mind; and more especially if men persecute, where can we find support but in God? The apparent harshness of the Prophet's prayer, ceases to be so, when we con...
The Prophet in this verse exaggerates the sin of his enemies, for they not only were ferocious against God, but also forgot everything humane, and wickedly assailed the Prophet himself. Impiety is ind...
In chapter 18 this principle is fully demonstrated before the people (Jeremiah 18:1-10). But the people in despair as to God, in the midst of their boldness in evil and in contempt of His marvellous p...
SHALL EVIL BE RECOMPENSED FOR GOOD?.... For all the good that I have done them, shall this be all the recompence I shall have, to be evilly treated by them, to have my good name, and even life, taken...
Shall 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. Ver. 20. _Shall evil be r...
_Give heed to me, O Lord_ The people had determined _not to give heed to any of his words_, (Jeremiah 18:18,) nor to admit any of his complaints, nor take the least notice of his grievances; therefore...
THE PARABLE FURTHER APPLIED...
Shall evil be recompensed for good? namely, by the fact that the evil plans of his adversaries would be successful. FOR THEY HAVE DIGGED A PIT FOR MY SOUL, where they hoped to catch him unawares. REME...
18-23 When the prophet called to repentance, instead of obeying the call, the people devised devices against him. Thus do sinners deal with the great Intercessor, crucifying him afresh, and speaking a...
SHALL EVIL BE RECOMPENSED FOR GOOD? to requite _good for evil is divine_, God maketh his sun to shine, and his rain to fall, upon the just and unjust; to requite _evil for evil_, or _good for good_, i...
Jeremiah 18:20 evil H7451 repaid H7999 (H8792) good H2896 dug H3738 (H8804) pit H7745 life H5315 Remember...
JEREMIAH'S DISTRESS AT THEIR TREATMENT OF HIM AND HIS VIOLENT REACTION TO IT (JEREMIAH 18:19). Jeremiah was naturally disturbed by this suggestion. But while recognising that Jeremiah's subsequent res...
CONTENTS: Sign of the potter's house. Declaration of God's ways of dealing with nations. Jeremiah's complaint. CHARACTERS: God, Jeremiah. CONCLUSION: Jehovah has incontestable and irresistible abili...
Jeremiah 18:6. _As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand._ The sense is given in the next words; the exaltation, or the degradation of a nation, is wholly with the Lord. If they, unde...
JEREMIAH—NOTE ON JEREMIAH 18:19 MY ADVERSARIES. Those plotting against Jeremiah. ⇐...
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—1. CHRONOLOGY OF THE CHAPTER. Early in Jehoiakim’s reign (See _Chronological Note_ on Section 19–27 of previous chapter). Probably about two years later than that messag...
EXPOSITION This chapter is the introduction of a group of prophecies (extending to Jeremiah 25:1.) of various dates; their sequence has evidently not been determined by chronological considerations. T...
Now in chapter 18: The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house...
1 Samuel 24:17; Ecclesiastes 10:8; Ezekiel 22:30; Ezekiel 22:31;...