same pattern, 'thy breach is great like the sea; who can heal thee?' (2:13).

Chapter 3 focuses attention on the prophet himself, who represents the

nation, and there we have the words 'the wormwood and the gall' (3:19).

Chapter 4 returns to the theme opened in chapters 1 and 2, 'How is the gold

become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! ... the precious sons of Zion,

comparable with fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the

work of the hands of the potter!' (4:1,2).

Let us examine the record of deterioration a little more closely.

Dim.  The two other occurrences of this verb amam are Ezekiel 28:3 and

31:8, where it is translated 'hide'.  The transition from the idea of

'hidden' to being 'dim' is seen in the bridge word 'obscured'.  The glory of

Israel had departed, it was 'obscured'.  The Hebrew reader, fully cognizant

with his own tongue, would be conscious of the fact that the word amam was

but a duplicated form of am, a word that means 'people', and would enable the

reader to see that the obscuring of Israel's distinctive glory was largely

associated with their failure to remain a separate people.

In the days of Samuel, they had expressed their desire to become like

the surrounding nations, and had demanded a king, and at that demand, their

gold had commenced to become dim, until in the days of Jeremiah the

'princess' now paid 'tribute'.  Am had become amam.

Changed.  This word occurs in its Chaldee form twenty -one times, of

which number, nineteen occur in the book of Daniel.  It is used in Daniel

7:7,23,24, of the final phase of Gentile rule which will be 'diverse' from

all that has gone before it.  So Israel 'changed'.  From a peculiar people

they became like the nations; they are even charged by Ezekiel of such

outrageous conduct that they made their 'beauty' to be 'abhorred'.

'As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor

her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters ... neither

hath Samaria committed half of thy sins' (Ezek. 16:48 -51).

No wonder Jeremiah exclaimed 'How is the most fine gold changed!'  The

sons of Zion who had undergone this change are called 'precious', a word used

in many passages of 'precious' or of 'costly' stones.  These precious sons of

Zion were comparable to fine gold, but they had so far fallen as to be

esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of a potter.  An 'earthen vessel' is a

symbol of lowliness, whether by reason of true humility (2 Cor. 4:7) or of

inferiority (2 Tim. 2:20).  This word 'earthen', Hebrew cheres, is not only

translated 'earthen' but 'potsherd' (Job 2:8), and 'sherd' (Isa. 30:14), and

so indicates something of very little value.  We must devote an article to

the lessons that are taught by the 'potter' and will here just sum up as far

as we have arrived in this study of the typical meaning of 'clay' when used

of either Israel or the Gentiles.

We place together the two instruments of world government employed by

God during the ages, namely Israel, and the Gentiles commencing with

Nebuchadnezzar.  Israel, at the beginning (and looked at from the standpoint

of the Divine purpose) was comparable to fine gold.  Upon the failure of the

chosen people, universal sovereignty was transferred to Nebuchadnezzar.  He

too was set forth in the image, as the head of gold (Dan. 2:38).  The kingdom

that was to succeed Babylon was that of the Medes and Persians, which, says

Daniel 2:39, shall be 'inferior'.  Now the Chaldee word ara translated