Topical Bible: Pots

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In biblical times, pots were essential household items used for various purposes, including cooking, storage, and ceremonial functions. The Bible references pots in both literal and metaphorical contexts, highlighting their significance in daily life and spiritual symbolism.

Materials and Uses

Pots in ancient Israel were typically made from clay, a readily available material that could be shaped and fired to create durable vessels. The process of making pots is alluded to in Jeremiah 18:3-4, where the prophet visits a potter's house: "So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the vessel he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hand; so the potter formed it into another vessel, as it seemed best to him."

These clay pots were used for cooking, as seen in Leviticus 6:28: "The clay pot in which it was boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it must be scoured and rinsed with water." This verse highlights the practical use of pots in preparing offerings, as well as the ritual purity laws associated with them.

Symbolism and Metaphor

Pots also carry rich symbolic meaning in Scripture. They often represent human frailty and the creative power of God. Isaiah 64:8 states, "But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand." This metaphor emphasizes God's sovereignty and the dependent nature of humanity.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul uses the imagery of pots to convey spiritual truths. In Romans 9:21, he writes, "Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?" Here, Paul underscores God's authority and purpose in creation, illustrating the concept of divine election and purpose.

Cultural and Religious Context

Pots were not only practical but also held religious significance. In the context of temple worship, pots were used for various offerings and rituals. 1 Kings 7:45 mentions the pots made by Hiram for Solomon's temple: "the pots, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls. All these objects that Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of polished bronze."

The breaking of pots is also a recurring theme, symbolizing judgment and destruction. Psalm 2:9 prophesies, "You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery." This imagery is used to depict the ultimate triumph of God's anointed over rebellious nations.

Conclusion

Pots in the Bible serve as a testament to the daily life and spiritual lessons of ancient Israel. They remind believers of God's creative power, human vulnerability, and the divine purpose woven into the fabric of life. Through the imagery of pots, Scripture communicates profound truths about God's relationship with His people and His sovereign will.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Pots

Job 41:20, applied in Scripture to a great variety of domestic vessels, of earthenware, iron, brass, and gold, used for cooking and serving food, etc., Jud 6:19 2 Kings 4:40 Psalm 58:9 Ecclesiastes 7:5 Hebrews 9:4. In Psalm 68:13, "though ye have lain among the pots," the Hebrew word means originally cattle-folds; and in Psalm 81:6, "his hands were delivered from the pots," it refers to the baskets used by the Hebrews in the hard service exacted of them in Egypt, Exodus 1:14.

Greek

5473. chalkion -- a brazen (ie of copper, bronze, brass) vessel
... Word Origin from chalkos Definition a brazen (ie of copper, bronze, brass)
vessel NASB Word Usage copper pots (1). a bronze vessel. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5473.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

5518a. sir -- a pot
... Word Origin probably of foreign origin Definition a pot NASB Word Usage cooking
pot (1), cooking pots (1), pails (5), pot (14), pots (6). 5518, 5518a. ...
/hebrew/5518a.htm - 5k

3627. keli -- an article, utensil, vessel
... 4), gear (1), goods (6), implements (2), instruments (14), items (1), jar (2), jars
(1), jars* (1), jewels (3), jewels* (1), object (3), pots (1), pottery (1 ...
/hebrew/3627.htm - 6k

Library

The First Miracle.
... (John 2:6). 6. There were set there six water-pots of stone. These
water-pots were to supply water for the washings usual at feasts ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the first miracle.htm

Sanctified Commonplaces
... 'In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord;
and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xvi sanctified commonplaces.htm

Persistency in Wrong Doing.
... was on a visit to the Bishop, when he saw on the stairs a number of servants of
a rich lady bringing up, as a present to the bishop some pots, labelled "Virgin ...
/.../xliii persistency in wrong doing.htm

Humdrum
... We went again to the potters' village and sat on the narrow verandah and talked
to a girl as she patted the pots into shape underneath where the wheel had left ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter iii humdrum.htm

The Bishop Elect and Consecrate
... Henry was in fine feather, and, forgetting his rather near habits, produced some
fine gold plate, a large service of silver, a substantial set of pots and pans ...
/.../marson/hugh bishop of lincoln/chapter iv the bishop elect.htm

Never a Man Like Him
... the market, except they wash, they eat not, and many other things there be, which
they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels ...
/.../mark/jesus of nazareth a biography/chapter vii never a man.htm

The Birthnight of Freedom
... There they have been eating and drinking their fill, and growing more weak, slavish,
luxurious, fonder and fonder of the flesh-pots of Egypt; fattening ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xii the birthnight of.htm

The Little Chamber on the Wall.
... He helped a poor widow to pay a debt and take care of her two sons by telling her
to borrow empty pots and pans of all her neighbors, and pour into them her ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxviii the little chamber.htm

Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
... place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are,
which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxv jesus fails to attend.htm

September the Twenty-Eighth the Daily Manna
... 11-18. And this gracious provision is made for people who are complaining,
and who are sighing for the flesh-pots of Egypt! Our ...
/.../september the twenty-eighth the daily.htm

Thesaurus

Pots (30 Occurrences)
...Pots (30 Occurrences). ... And many other things there be, which they have received to
hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. ...
/p/pots.htm - 15k

Flesh-pots (1 Occurrence)
Flesh-pots. Fleshpots, Flesh-pots. Flesh's . Multi-Version
Concordance Flesh-pots (1 Occurrence). Exodus 16:3 and the ...
/f/flesh-pots.htm - 6k

Shovels (9 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/s/shovels.htm - 9k

Spades (9 Occurrences)
... (BBE). 1 Kings 7:40 And Hiram made the pots and spades and the basins. ... (BBE). 2
Chronicles 4:11 And Huram made all the pots and the spades and the basins. ...
/s/spades.htm - 9k

Pans (19 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/p/pans.htm - 12k

Basins (33 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/b/basins.htm - 16k

Pails (6 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/p/pails.htm - 7k

Pot (46 Occurrences)
... draining sugar. 8. (n.) A size of paper. See Pott. 9. (vt) To place or enclose
in pots. 10. (vt) To preserve seasoned in pots. 11. (vt) To ...
/p/pot.htm - 25k

Fire-pans (11 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels,
and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels ...
/f/fire-pans.htm - 9k

Flesh-hooks (5 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels,
and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels ...
/f/flesh-hooks.htm - 8k

Resources

What is the Wilderness of Sin? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Valley of Succoth in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Pots: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Pots (30 Occurrences)

Mark 7:4
And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
(KJV WEY ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Mark 7:8
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
(KJV WBS YLT)

John 2:6
Now there were six water pots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS NAS)

John 2:7
Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." They filled them up to the brim.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE WBS NAS)

Revelation 2:27
He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father:
(WEB RSV)

Exodus 16:3
and the children of Israel said to them, "We wish that we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 27:3
You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins, its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY YLT RSV NIV)

Exodus 38:3
He made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of brass.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:35
Everything whereupon part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces: they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)

Numbers 11:8
The people went around, gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it. Its taste was like the taste of fresh oil.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY RSV)

2 Samuel 17:28
Came with beds and basins and pots, and grain and meal, and all sorts of dry foods,
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:40
And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of Jehovah:
(See JPS BBE RSV)

1 Kings 7:45
and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins: even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the house of Yahweh, were of burnished brass.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

2 Kings 25:14
The pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 4:11
Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he did for king Solomon in the house of God:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 4:16
The pots also, and the shovels, and the forks, and all its vessels, did Huram his father make for king Solomon for the house of Yahweh of bright brass.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 35:13
They roasted the Passover with fire according to the ordinance: and the holy offerings boiled they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 41:30
His undersides are like sharp potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
(Root in WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 58:9
Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 68:13
Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.
(KJV WBS)

Psalms 81:6
I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
(KJV WBS)

Isaiah 45:9
Woe to him who strives with his Maker- a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it,'What are you making?' or your work,'He has no hands?'
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NIV)

Isaiah 65:4
Who are seated in the resting-places of the dead, and by night are in the secret places; who take pig's flesh for food, and have the liquid of disgusting things in their vessels.
(See NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 19:2
And go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, by the way into the door of broken pots, and there say in a loud voice the words which I will give you;
(BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 35:5
And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.
(KJV WBS)

Jeremiah 52:18
The pots also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 52:19
The cups, and the fire pans, and the basins, and the pots, and the lampstands, and the spoons, and the bowls-that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver,-the captain of the guard took away.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Lamentations 4:2
The precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a potter.
(See RSV NIV)

Zechariah 14:20
In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO YAHWEH;" and the pots in Yahweh's house will be like the bowls before the altar.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Zechariah 14:21
And every pot in Jerusalem, and in Judah, Have been holy to Jehovah of Hosts, And all those sacrificing have come in, And have taken of them, and boiled in them, And there is no merchant any more in the house of Jehovah of Hosts in that day!
(See NIV)

Subtopics

Pots

Related Terms

Ostraca

Potsherds (2 Occurrences)

Sherd (1 Occurrence)

Pots (30 Occurrences)

Jaws (12 Occurrences)

Layest (10 Occurrences)

Fashioneth (5 Occurrences)

Fashioned (22 Occurrences)

Framer (7 Occurrences)