Clay
“Reddish loam or mud”
Summary
A plastic earth used for pottery, brickmaking, and sealing, frequently employed as a biblical metaphor for human frailty and God's sovereign creative power.
☩Uses of Clay
Clay in Scripture refers to various plastic earthy materials used for pottery, brickmaking, and sealing. True clay containing silica and alumina was found in Palestine and used for making pottery. The Israelites made bricks of clay mixed with straw during their Egyptian bondage. Clay was also used for sealing—wine jars, mummy pits, and official documents were sealed with impressed clay. The great center of Palestinian pottery today is Gaza, where vessels of dark blue clay are made.
☩Figurative Usage
The image of the potter and clay is one of Scripture's most powerful metaphors for God's sovereignty over human destiny. Isaiah asks, 'Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?' Jeremiah watched a potter reshape a marred vessel and heard God's declaration: 'Cannot I do with you as this potter?... as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand.' Paul applies this imagery to God's sovereign choice: 'Hath not the potter power over the clay?' Job speaks of mankind dwelling in 'houses of clay,' referring to the frailty of human bodies.
☩Symbolic Usage
In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the image had feet partly of iron and partly of clay, symbolizing a kingdom partly strong and partly fragile—a divided kingdom that would not hold together, as iron does not mix with clay. Jesus used clay mixed with spittle to anoint the eyes of a man born blind, demonstrating that the cure had no natural efficacy but came solely from divine power.
Related Verses30 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Clay," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Clay," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Clay," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Clay," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).