Isaiah 30:14 (LSB)

Passage

Whose breaking is like the breaking of a potter’s jar, So ruthlessly shattered That a potsherd will not be found among its pieces To take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.”

Nearby Context

Isaiah 30:12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and deviousness and have relied on them,

Isaiah 30:13 Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant,

Isaiah 30:14 Whose breaking is like the breaking of a potter’s jar, So ruthlessly shattered That a potsherd will not be found among its pieces To take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.”

Isaiah 30:15 For thus Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your might.” But you were not willing,

Isaiah 30:16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whose", "breaking", "like", "potter", "ruthlessly", "shattered", and "potsherd". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whose" and "breaking", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Therefore this iniquity will be to you..." into verse 15's "For thus Lord Yahweh the Holy One...", so "whose" and "breaking" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whose" and "breaking" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.