and persecution in 20:14.
b. By his act Jeremiah was attacking the very existence of the nation.
(1) In the Near East, it is still the practice to break a jar near a person who has done wrong to one and voice the hope that he will be similarly broken (so Freedman).
(2) The Egyptian practice of writing on clay vessels the names of enemies and breaking them at a sacred place has been suggested as a parallel (so Hyatt).
(3) Such action was intended to bring about the downfall of the enemies.
C. So Jeremiah vividly portrayed the fate of the nation
1. The thrust of this acted oracle was to show the irrevocability of the nation’s ruin.
2. They knew of no way to mend a broken jar, which could only be thrown away.
3. So Judah will be rejected because she failed to repent.
4. There is a clear distinction between the acted oracle in this chapter and that of the potter’s house.
a. Clay can be shaped and reshaped
b. Broken jars are cast away.
D. In Judah’s downfall, the dead will be so numerous that even unclean Topheth will have to be used for their burial (v.11).
1. Topheth was a place of uncleanness (ef 7:31)
2. It was made such by the detestable idolatry practiced there.
IV. Conclusion 14-15
A. The prophesy is reiterate.
B. The prophesy is rejected.
C. The prophet is attacked.