Jeremiah 1 · Verse 13

Jeremiah 1:13

And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
Jeremiah 1:13, King James Version

Jeremiah 1:13 in other translations

BSBAgain the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “What do you see?” “I see a boiling pot,” I replied, “and it is tilting toward us from the north.”
WEBThe LORD’s word came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a boiling cauldron; and it is tipping away from the north.”
ASVAnd the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the north.
YLTAnd there is a word of Jehovah unto me a second time, saying, ‘What art thou seeing?' And I say, ‘A blown pot I am seeing, and its face is from the north.'
DARBYAnd the word of Jehovah came to me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething-pot, and its face is from the north.
BBEAnd the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, What do you see? And I said, I see a boiling pot, and its face is from the north.
WebsterAnd the word of the LORD came to me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and its face is towards the north.

What does Jeremiah 1:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
13. Another vision, signifying what is the "word" about to be "performed," and by what instrumentality. seething--literally, "blown under"; so boiling by reason of the flame under it kept brisk by blowing. An Oriental symbol of a raging war. toward--rather, "from the north." Literally, "from the face of the region situated towards the north" (compare Jr 1:14, 15) [Maurer]. The pot in the north rested on one side, its mouth being about to pour forth its contents southwards, namely, on Judea. Babylon, though east of Judea, was regarded by the Hebrews as north, because they appropriated the term "east" to Arabia-Deserta, stretching from Palestine to the Euphrates; or rather [Bochart], the reference here is not to the site, but to the route of the Babylonians; not being able to cross the desert, they must enter the Holy Land by the northern frontier, through Riblah in Hamath (Jr 39:5; 52:9).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 A seething pot - toward the north - We find, from Eze 24:3, etc., that a boiling pot was an emblem of war, and the desolations it produces. Some have thought that by the seething pot Judea is intended, agitated by the invasion of the Chaldeans, whose land lay north of Judea. But Dr. Blayney contends that מפני צפונה mippeney tsaphonah should be translated, From the face of the north, as it is in the margin; for, from the next verse, it appears that the evil was to come from the north; and therefore the steam, which was designed as an emblem of that evil, must have arisen from that quarter also. The pot denotes the empire of the Babylonians and Chaldeans lying to the north of Judea, and pouring forth its multitudes like a thick vapor, to overspread the land. Either of these interpretations will suit the text.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 1:11-19

God gave Jeremiah a view of the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. The almond-tree, which is more forward in the spring than any other, represented the speedy approach of judgments. God also showed whence the intended ruin should arise. Jeremiah saw a seething-pot boiling, representing Jerusalem and Judah in great commotion. The mouth or face of the furnace or hearth, was toward the north; from…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 1:11-19 →

Jeremiah 1:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיְהִ֨יvay.Hiand it cameH1961
דְבַר\־de.var-[the] word ofH1697
יְהוָ֤ה\׀Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֵלַי֙'e.Laito meH413
שֵׁנִ֣יתshe.Nita second [time]H8145
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
מָ֥הmahwhat?H4100
אַתָּ֖ה'a.Tah[are] youH859
רֹאֶ֑הro.'EhseeingH7200
וָאֹמַ֗רva.'o.Marand I saidH559
סִ֤ירsira potH5518
נָפ֙וּחַ֙na.Fu.achblown uponH5301
אֲנִ֣י'a.NiIH589
רֹאֶ֔הro.'Eh[am] seeingH7200
וּפָנָ֖יוu.fa.Navand face itsH6440
מִפְּנֵ֥יmi.pe.Nei[is] away from [the] face ofH6440
צָפֽוֹנָה\׃tza.Fo.nahnorth -wardH6828

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Jeremiah 1:13

  • Ezekiel 11:7

    Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.

  • Ezekiel 11:3

    Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.

  • Zechariah 4:2

    And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:

  • 2 Corinthians 13:1-2

    This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:

  • Ezekiel 24:3-14

    And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. …

  • Genesis 41:32

    And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the second time.
Ge 41:32; 2Co 13:1,2
I see.
Eze 11:3,7; 24:3-14
toward the north. Heb. from the face of the north.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Jeremiah 1:12

    Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

  • Jeremiah 1:13

    And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

  • Jeremiah 1:14

    Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Read all of Jeremiah 1

Jeremiah 1:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y fué á mí palabra de Jehová segunda vez, diciendo: ¿Qué ves tú? Y dije: Yo veo una olla que hierve; y su haz está de la parte del aquilón.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et la parole de l’ Éternel vint à moi une seconde fois, disant: Que vois-tu? Et je dis: Je vois un pot bouillant, dont le devant est du côté du nord.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und das Wort Jehovas geschah zu mir zum zweiten Male also: Was siehst du? Und ich sprach: Ich sehe einen siedenden Topf, dessen Vorderteil gegen Süden gerichtet ist
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et factum est verbum Domini secundo ad me, dicens: Quid tu vides? Et dixi: Ollam succensam ego video, et faciem ejus a facie aquilonis.