And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled: The tense of the verb was spoiled suggests that this was a repeated activity, so Good News Translation has “Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch also has the equivalent of “Whenever,” while Revised English Bible has “Now and then….” Vessel is “piece of pottery” in Good News Translation. “Pot” is also an acceptable rendering. Clay is a kind of earth that can easily be made into different shapes when it is wet, and which keeps that shape when it dries. It is therefore good for making pottery and bricks. If it is not known, translators can say something like “wet earth [or, dirt] for making pots.”

As it seemed good to the potter to do is a simpler way of expressing the Hebrew, which is literally “according to which it seemed right in the eyes of the potter.” New Jerusalem Bible has “as he thought fit,” which is accurate and clear in the context.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .