Leaving an Impression “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.” Jeremiah 22:24 I want to focus on one word this week: hotam (חוֹתָ֖ם), which is translated above as “signet ring”. What is a signet ring and how does it help us better understand the imagery being used? The word is broader than “signet ring”, although that fits the context here the best. It is a unique stamp which identifies the individual who made the impression. Generally, one would […]
Category Archives: Bible Study
Jeremiah 21
The Two Ways 8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. 10 I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’ Jeremiah 21:8-10 In this chapter, King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah if the Lord will save them […]
Jeremiah 20
Surrounded by Terror The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.” Jeremiah 20:3 Jeremiah was locked up for a night by Pashhur, an official at the Temple, because of his prophecies. The Lord had a new name for Pashhur: Magor-Misaviv (Terror All Around). The phrase is repeated in verse 10 about Jeremiah. A little searching and I found the phrase is also used in Jeremiah 6:25, 46:5, 49:29, and Psalm 31:13. Obviously, Jeremiah felt some affinity for the phrase. Can’t Not Speak But […]
Jeremiah 19
The Pouring Jar In the last chapter, the Lord commanded Jeremiah to go to a potter’s house to understand how the Lord shapes his people. He has one more image to use from the potter in this chapter. He commands Jeremiah to buy a clay jar. There are multiple Hebrew words translated as jar. This one is rare (bǎq·bǔq, בַּקְבֻּק), used only in verses 1 and 10 here and 1 Kings 14:3. It comes from a root (bā·qǎq, בָּקַק) meaning to pour or empty out. Most likely it had a narrow neck for pouring, like a bottle. It is onomatopoeia […]
Jeremiah 18
Formed by the Potter 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:2-4 The Lord sent Jeremiah to a potter. Pottery has been very common for thousands of years of human history. A visit to any archaeological site reveals it in large quantities. Everyone owned pottery. I think of the […]
Jeremiah 17
A Tale of Two Trees 5 This is what the Lord says:“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of […]
Jeremiah 16
A New Identity 14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. Jeremiah 16:14-15 Over and over throughout the Hebrew Bible, the Lord is identified as the one who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt (like the beginning of the Ten Commandments […]
Jeremiah 15
Trust Issues 15 Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors.You are long-suffering—do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight,for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.17 I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them;I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation.18 Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?You are to me like a deceptive brook like a spring that fails. Jeremiah 15:15-18 Have you ever felt like God cannot be trusted? It […]
Jeremiah 14
Mixed Messages 13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Jeremiah 14:13-14 What do you do when you hear competing messages? Jeremiah has been proclaiming destruction while other so-called prophets have been exclaiming good times are ahead. Who would you believe? I think it’s easier to listen to […]
Jeremiah 13
Ruined This chapter opens with the Lord instructing Jeremiah to perform a symbolic action. He is instructed to buy a linen belt (or waistband or loincloth – depends on your translation: something tied/wrapped around the waist). Next, he is instructed to hide it at the Euphrates. An alternative reading is to hide it at Perath, which is the name of a place just 3.5 miles from Jeremiah’s town of Anathoth. The Euphrates River, on the other hand, is 700 miles away. I think the closer location makes more contextual sense. When Jeremiah returns later, it is ruined. The Lord responds […]