Jeremiah 19 · Verse 11

Jeremiah 19:11

And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.
Jeremiah 19:11, King James Version

Jeremiah 19:11 in other translations

BSBand you are to proclaim to them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter this nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.
WEBand shall tell them, ‘The LORD of Armies says: “Even so I will break this people and this city as one breaks a potter’s vessel, that can’t be made whole again. They will bury in Topheth until there is no place to bury.
ASVand shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place to bury.
YLTand hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Thus do I break this people and this city, as one breaketh the potter's vessel, that is not able to be repaired again, and in Tophet they bury--without place to bury;
DARBYand shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again. And they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place to bury.
BBEAnd say to them, This is what the Lord of armies has said: Even so will this people and this town be broken by me, as a potter's bottle is broken and may not be put together again: and the bodies of the dead will be put in the earth in Topheth, till there is no more room.
WebsterAnd shalt say to them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.

What does Jeremiah 19:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. as one breaketh a potter's vessel--expressing God's absolute sovereignty (Jr 18:6; Psa 2:9; Is 30:14, Margin; La 4:2; Ro 9:20, 21). cannot be made whole again--A broken potter's vessel cannot be restored, but a new one may be made of the same material. So God raised a new Jewish seed, not identical with the destroyed rebels, but by substituting another generation in their stead [Grotius]. no place to bury--(Jr 7:32).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 Even so will I break this people and this city - The breaking of the bottle was the symbolical representation of the destruction of the city and of the state. That cannot be made whole again - This seems to refer rather to the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, than to what was done by the Chaldeans. Jerusalem was healed after 70 years: but nearly 1800 years have elapsed since Jerusalem was taken and destroyed by the Romans; and it was then so broken, that it could not be made whole again.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Jeremiah 19:10-15

The potter's vessel, after it is hardened, can never be pieced again when it is broken. And as the bottle was broken, so shall Judah and Jerusalem be broken by the Chaldeans. No human hand can repair it; but if they return to the Lord he will heal. As they filled Tophet with the slain sacrificed to their idols, so will God fill the whole city with the slain that shall fall as sacrifices to his justice. Whatever men…

Read the full comment on Jeremiah 19:10-15 →

Jeremiah 19:11 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.

וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ve.'a.mar.Taand you will sayH559
אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם'a.lei.Hemto themH413
כֹּה\־koh-thusH3541
אָמַ֣ר\׀'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
צְבָא֗וֹתtze.va.'otof hostsH6635
כָּ֣כָהKa.khahthusH3602
אֶשְׁבֹּ֞ר'esh.BorI will breakH7665
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָעָ֤םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
הַזֶּה֙ha.Zeh<the> thisH2088
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
הָעִ֣ירha.'Irthe cityH5892
הַזֹּ֔אתha.Zot<the> thisH2063
כַּאֲשֶׁ֤רka.'a.Sherjust asH834
יִשְׁבֹּר֙yish.Borsomeone breaksH7665
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
כְּלִ֣יke.Li[the] vessel ofH3627
הַיּוֹצֵ֔רhai.yo.Tzerthe potterH3335
אֲשֶׁ֛ר'a.SherwhichH834
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
יוּכַ֥לyu.Khalit will be ableH3201
לְהֵרָפֵ֖הle.he.ra.Pehto be repairedH7495
ע֑וֹדodagainH5750
וּבְתֹ֣פֶתu.ve.To.fetand in TophethH8612
יִקְבְּר֔וּyik.be.Rupeople will buryH6912
מֵאֵ֥יןme.'Einfrom notH369
מָק֖וֹםma.KomroomH4725
לִקְבּֽוֹר\׃lik.Borto buryH6912

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

Cross references for Jeremiah 19:11

  • Psalms 2:9

    Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

  • Isaiah 30:14

    And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

  • Lamentations 4:2

    The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

  • Revelation 2:27

    And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

  • Jeremiah 13:14

    And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Even.
13:14; Ps 2:9; Isa 30:14; La 4:2; Re 2:27
made whole. Heb. healed. bury.
6; 7:31,32

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

Context

  • Jeremiah 19:10

    Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,

  • Jeremiah 19:11

    And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.

  • Jeremiah 19:12

    Thus will I do unto this place, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet:

Read all of Jeremiah 19

Jeremiah 19:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y les dirás: Así ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: Así quebrantaré á este pueblo y á esta ciudad, como quien quiebra un vaso de barro, que no puede más restaurarse; y en Topheth se enterrarán, porque no habrá otro lugar para enterrar.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et tu leur diras: Ainsi dit l’ Éternel des armées: Je briserai ainsi ce peuple et cette ville, comme on brise un vase de potier qui ne peut être raccommodé; et on enterrera à Topheth, jusqu’à ce qu’il n’y ait plus de place pour enterrer.
German
Elberfelder 1871
und zu ihnen sprechen: So spricht Jehova der Heerscharen: Also werde ich dieses Volk und diese Stadt zerschmettern, wie man ein Töpfergefäß zerschmettert, das nicht wiederhergestellt werden kann. Und man wird im Topheth begraben, aus Mangel an Raum zu begraben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Sic conteram populum istum, et civitatem istam, sicut conteritur vas figuli, quod non potest ultra instaurari: et in Topheth sepelientur, eo quod non sit alius locus ad sepeliendum.