Yirmeyahu 18–19 | Two Similar Yet Opposite Prophecies

In today’s pair of chapters, we encounter two prophecies that share many similarities, particularly in their setting and imagery. Both of the prophecies in our chapters are conveyed by Yirmiyahu through symbolic actions involving objects and locations: in Chapter 18, we see the prophecy of the potter’s house, illustrated through the potter’s process of shaping clay into a vessel. In Chapter 19, we see the prophecy of the potter’s flask, demonstrated by the prophet breaking a finished vessel. Yet, the very similarity between the prophecies serves to sharpen the stark contrast between them, as we will explain.

The message of the prophecy of the potter’s house is quite simple: the craftsman attempts to shape a vessel, but it becomes flawed in his hands. So, he reshapes it into a new and better vessel, “such as it pleased the potter to fashion” (18:4). Similarly, God tells Israel: You are the raw material, and I am the potter — at present, I foresee and decree great calamity upon you. But you still have the ability to correct yourselves, to reshape the vessel and prevent disaster. The decree is not yet final; the raw material is still flexible and can be repaired.

Yirmiyahu’s prophecy of the potter’s house closes two thematic circles — one within Sefer Yirmiyahu and another that traces back to Sefer Bereishit — as noted by Rav David Sabato in the attached essay. The verses “At one moment I may decree that a nation or a kingdom be uprooted, shattered, and destroyed... And at one moment I may decree that a nation or a kingdom be built and planted” (18:7–9) strongly resemble what was told to Yirmiyahu at his commissioning as a prophet: “Look, I have placed My words in your mouth. I have appointed you this day against the kingdoms and against the nations to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and to plant” (1:10). However, in our chapter, a new element is introduced — the possibility of change. Yirmiyahu is not merely prophesying destruction or restoration; rather, each of these outcomes is dependent on the people’s actions: “But should that nation turn back because of the evil that I pronounced upon it, I change My mind concerning the evil that I had planned to do to it” (18:8).

Another thematic connection, noted by Rav Sabato, traces back to Sefer Bereishit. A series of parallels can be drawn to the story of creation and the flood, particularly in the core concept — God is the artisan, the Creator of the world, and His creation became corrupted. In the case of the flood, God destroys the flawed creation and forms a new world, “as seemed pleasing in His sight.” However, our prophecy introduces a key innovation — as opposed to the flood where God was the one who rebuilt the world, in our chapter, it is the people of Israel who are called upon to repair themselves. The fate of the people still hangs on their own choices, on their willingness to repent.

In Chapter 19, the object used to illustrate the prophecy is similar — a jug of clay. But the message is completely opposite — Yirmiyahu is commanded to break the jug: “Then smash the jug in front of those who accompanied you. Say to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts said: This is how I will smash this people and this city, as one smashes a potter's vessel, so that it can never again be repaired” (19:10–11).

Breaking a finished jug is an irreversible action. Unlike soft clay, which can still be molded and reshaped, a shattered jug has no remedy. In this sense, the shift from Chapter 18 to Chapter 19 represents a critical turning point in the book — in the question of whether the people still have the ability to repent and prevent disaster. This turning point is tied to another shift in the prophetic message of Yirmiyahu: until Chapter 19, Babylon is never mentioned by name — rather, the warning is about an unnamed enemy coming from the north. The enemy is still described in vague and abstract terms. However, beginning in Chapter 20, after the harsh incident that followed Yirmiyahu’s prophecy, Babylon will now be named explicitly. The calamity becomes concrete and imminent.

Rav Yuval Cherlow gave a brief shiur on the prophecies of the potter’s house and the shattered jug. He notes how the turning point between these two prophecies is linked to the people’s reaction to Yirmiyahu’s prophecy in Chapter 18 — where they seek to attack him, saying, “Let us go and strike him” (18:18). As a result, Yirmiyahu explicitly asks God to punish the people. Until now, Yirmiyahu had advocated on behalf of the people before God: “Remember how I stood before You to speak well of them, to remove Your anger from them” (18:20). But now, Yirmiyahu switches to God’s side. The moment when the people succeed in breaking even the prophet — who served as the bridge between God and Israel — seems to mark the point of no return.