Jeremiah 18:1

“The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying.] The word of prophecy, as the Targum: this is a distinct prophecy from the former, though it may be connected with it; it referring to the destruction threatened in the latter part of the preceding chapter.”

“GOD, AS THE SOLE SOVEREIGN, HAS AN ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO DEAL WITH NATIONS ACCORDING TO THEIR CONDUCT TOWARDS HIM; ILLUSTRATED IN A TANGIBLE FORM BY THE POTTER'S MOULDING OF VESSELS FROM CLAY. (Jer. 18:1-23) go down--namely, from the high ground on which the temple stood, near which Jeremiah exercised his prophetic office, to the low ground, where some well-known (this is the force of "the") potter had his workshop.”

“In the first prophecy of the series Jeremiah 18:0, the fate of Jerusalem was still undetermined; a long line of kings might yet reign there in splendor, and the city be inhabited forever. This was possible only so long as it was still undecided whether Josiah’s efforts would end in a national reformation or not, and before Jehoiakim threw the weight of the kingly office into the opposite balance. In the present prophecy mercy is still offered to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but they reject it Jeremiah 18:11-12. They have made their final choice: and thereupon follows the third prophecy of “the broken vessel” Jeremiah 19:1-15 in which the utter overthrow of city and kingdom is foretold. We…”

“18:1-11 The Lord had Jeremiah take part in an object lesson. What Jeremiah observed at the potter’s shop became a picture of what the Lord was about to do with Judah. 18:1-4 Jeremiah watched as the potter formed an earthen jar, then crushed it and started over.”

“The Emblem of the Clay and the Potter and the Complaint of the Prophet against his Adversaries. - The figure of the potter who remodels a misshapen vessel ( Jer 18:2-4). The interpretation of this ( Jer 18:5-10), and its application to degenerate Israel ( Jer 18:11-17). The reception of the discourse by the people, and Jeremiah's cry to the Lord ( Jer 18:18-23). Jeremiah 18:2”