John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 1:13-14

"And the word of Jehovah came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a boiling caldron; and the face thereof is from the north. Then Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land." — Jeremiah 1:13-14 (ASV)

Jeremiah now begins to address the people to whom he was sent as a Prophet. He has until now spoken of his calling, so that the authority of his doctrine might be evident. He spoke generally, but now he directs his teaching specifically to the people.

Therefore, he says that he had a vision and saw a boiling-pot, whose face was towards the north. The design of God asking and the Prophet answering was to confirm the prediction.

For if it had only been said that he saw a boiling-pot, and if an explanation of the metaphor had been given, the narrative would not have had so much force and weight. But when God is presented as being present and explaining what the boiling-pot signified, the prediction becomes more certain. The Prophet, no doubt, gave this narrative to show that God, being, as it were, present, thereby proved Himself to be the Author of this prophecy.

Now the import of the whole is that the Chaldeans would come to overthrow the city Jerusalem, to take away and abolish all the honor and dignity of both the kingdom and the priesthood.

This indeed had been previously announced by Isaiah as well as by other prophets, but all their threats had been despised. While Isaiah was living, the king of Babylon had secured the friendship of Hezekiah, and the Jews thought that his protection had been opportunely obtained against the Assyrians.

But they did not consider that the hearts of men are ruled by the hand of God and are turned as He pleases. Nor did they consider that they had for many years provoked God, and that He had become their enemy.

Since, then, all threats had been despised and regarded with derision, Jeremiah came forth and declared that the northern nations would come—the Assyrians as well as the Chaldeans.

For we know that the one monarchy had been swallowed up by the other, and the Chaldeans ruled over the Assyrians. Thus it happened that the whole eastern empire, with the exception of the Medes and Persians, had passed over to them. With respect to Judea, they were northward.

Hence the Prophet says that he saw a boiling-pot, having its face towards the north.

By the pot many understand the king of Babylon, but they do not seem to understand correctly what the Prophet says. I could easily disprove their interpretation, but I will be satisfied with a simple statement of what is true, and the meaning will become evident as we proceed.

The pot, then, as will soon be seen more clearly, is the nation of the Jews. I say this now, as I do not wish to heap together too many things.

They are said to be like a boiling-pot because the Lord, as it were, boiled them until they were reduced almost to nothing. It is also said that the face of the pot was towards the north, because there, as Jeremiah immediately explains, the fire was kindled. And the comparison is very fitting, for when a pot is set on the fire, it boils on that side nearest the fire, and all the scum passes over to the other side.

Hence he says that it boiled, but so that its mouth was on the north side, for there was the fire, and there was the blowing. In short, God intended to show His Prophet that the people were like flesh which is cast into the pot, boiled, and afterwards burnt, or reduced after a long time almost to nothing.

The Prophet saw the mouth or the face of the boiling-pot, and on the side on which it boiled, it looked towards the north. Hence God, the interpreter of the vision which He presented to His servant, answers and says, From the north shall break forth evil on all the inhabitants of the land, that is, of Judea.

In these words God declares that the fire was already kindled by the Chaldeans and the Assyrians, by which He would boil, as it were, His people like flesh, and at length wholly consume them.

This is commonly the case when flesh remains in the pot, the fire is continually burning, and blowing is also added: the flesh must necessarily be reduced to nothing when boiled or seethed in this way.

And thus God testifies that the fire was already kindled in Chaldea and Assyria, which was not only to boil the Jews but also to reduce them to nothing. Then He expresses the same in other words—that evil would come from the north upon all the Jews.

We will see later that a brief summary of the truth committed to Jeremiah is presented here; at least, it is a summary of one half of it.

For God also designed to provide for His own elect; and He thus terrified them, so that they might be subdued and submit to Him, and not so that they might abandon themselves to despair.

At the same time, this half of the prediction was that there was no hope of pardon, because the Jews had with extreme obstinacy provoked God’s wrath and had so abused His patience that their impiety could no longer be tolerated.

Hence, what other prophets had denounced, Jeremiah now confirms more strongly, pointing it out, as it were, with his finger.