Jeremiah 22:28
Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?
Original Language Analysis
הַעֶ֨צֶב
idol
H6089
הַעֶ֨צֶב
idol
Strong's:
H6089
Word #:
1 of 21
an earthen vessel; usually (painful) toil; also a pang (whether of body or mind)
הָאִ֤ישׁ
Is this man
H376
הָאִ֤ישׁ
Is this man
Strong's:
H376
Word #:
4 of 21
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
הַזֶּה֙
H2088
אִ֨ם
H518
אִ֨ם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
7 of 21
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
כְּלִ֔י
is he a vessel
H3627
כְּלִ֔י
is he a vessel
Strong's:
H3627
Word #:
8 of 21
something prepared, i.e., any apparatus (as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon)
חֵ֖פֶץ
wherein is no pleasure
H2656
חֵ֖פֶץ
wherein is no pleasure
Strong's:
H2656
Word #:
10 of 21
pleasure; hence (abstractly) desire; concretely, a valuable thing; hence (by extension) a matter (as something in mind)
מַדּ֤וּעַ
H4069
מַדּ֤וּעַ
Strong's:
H4069
Word #:
12 of 21
what (is) known?; i.e., (by implication) (adverbially) why?
הֽוּטֲלוּ֙
and are cast
H2904
הֽוּטֲלוּ֙
and are cast
Strong's:
H2904
Word #:
13 of 21
to pitch over or reel; hence (transitively) to cast down or out
ה֣וּא
H1931
ה֣וּא
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
14 of 21
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demo
וְזַרְע֔וֹ
he and his seed
H2233
וְזַרְע֔וֹ
he and his seed
Strong's:
H2233
Word #:
15 of 21
seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity
וְהֻ֨שְׁלְכ֔וּ
wherefore are they cast out
H7993
וְהֻ֨שְׁלְכ֔וּ
wherefore are they cast out
Strong's:
H7993
Word #:
16 of 21
to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively)
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
17 of 21
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
19 of 21
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
Cross References
Psalms 31:12I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.Hosea 8:8Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.Jeremiah 48:38There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern kings were often deified or seen as semi-divine representatives. The shocking reversal—from exalted monarch to despised, broken vessel—would have been culturally devastating. The vocabulary of 'casting out' recalls how broken pottery was discarded in garbage heaps outside city walls, becoming worthless rubble. Jehoiachin's reduction from king to prisoner dramatized this theological reality.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'vessels' (roles, achievements, identities) have you made into idols that God may need to shatter?
- How does this image challenge cultural assumptions about human greatness and legacy?
- In what ways might you be a 'vessel of honor' rather than a broken, despised idol?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? (הַעֶצֶב נִבְזֶה נָפוּץ הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה כָּנְיָהוּ, ha'etsev nivzeh nafuts ha'ish hazeh konyahu). The Hebrew עֶצֶב (etsev, 'idol' or 'vessel') combined with נִבְזֶה (nivzeh, 'despised') and נָפוּץ (nafuts, 'shattered/broken') creates a devastating image. Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? (כְּלִי אֵין חֵפֶץ בּוֹ, k'li ein chefets bo)—pottery with no usefulness, discarded as worthless. Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed? The rhetorical questions express shock and demand explanation.
The answer lies in covenant rebellion. What seemed permanent—Davidic dynasty, royal authority, dynastic succession (zera, 'seed')—proves fragile when divorced from faithfulness. Paul uses similar pottery imagery in Romans 9:21-23 regarding vessels of wrath and mercy. The questions force recognition that human glory apart from God is an empty, shattered idol. Even kings are clay pots in the Potter's hands.