Pottery

The art of, was early practised among all nations. Various materials seem to have been employed by the potter. Earthenware is mentioned in connection with the history of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18), of Abraham (18:4-8), of Rebekah (27:14), of Rachel (29:2, 3, 8, 10). The potter’s wheel is mentioned by Jeremiah (18:3). See also 1 Chr. 4:23; Ps. 2:9; Isa. 45:9; 64:8; Jer. 19:1; Lam. 4:2; Zech. 11:13; Rom. 9:21.

The art of pottery is one of the most common and most ancient of all manufactures. It is abundantly evident, both that the Hebrews used earthenware vessels in the wilderness and that the potter’s trade was afterward carried on in Palestine. They had themselves been concerned in the potter’s trade in Egypt, (Psalms 81:6) and the wall-paintings minutely illustrate the Egyptian process. The clay, when dug, was trodden by men’s feet so as to form a paste, (Isaiah 41:25) Wisd. 15:7; then placed by the potter on the wheel beside which he sat, and shaped by him with his hands. How early the wheel came into use in Palestine is not known, but it seems likely that it was adopted from Egypt. (Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 15:3) The vessel was then smoothed and coated with a glaze, and finally burnt in a furnace. There was at Jerusalem a royal establishment of potters, (1 Chronicles 4:23) from whose employment, and from the fragments cast away in the process, the Potter’s Field perhaps received its name. (Isaiah 30:11)

POT'TERY. The potter's art was one of the first kinds of manufacture in Egyptian Potter and Pottery. which man became proficient. The Israelites worked at the trade while in Egypt, Ps 81:6; they used earthenware during their passage through the wilderness; and from the earliest time of their settlement in Canaan the trade was established among them. In Jerusalem there was a royal establishment of potters, 1 Chr 4:23, from which it has been conjectured that the potter's field received its name. The method employed by the Israelites and often hinted at by the prophets seems to have been exactly the same as that employed by the Egyptians, such as we find it minutely illustrated by Egyptian wall-paintings. The clay was trodden by the feet into a uniform paste, Isa 41:25; Wisd. 16:7, and a sufficient mass was then placed by the potter on the wooden disc of the wheel. The wheel was turned by the hand or worked by a treadle, Isa 45:9; Jer 18:3, but generally by an attendant, and not by the potter himself. When finished the vessel was coated with glaze and burnt in a furnace. Such vessels were used, however, not only for culinary purposes, but also as a means of preservation; from Jer 32:14 it appears that deeds were kept in them.

POT'TERY. The potter's art was one of the first kinds of manufacture in Egyptian Potter and Pottery. which man became proficient. The Israelites worked at the trade while in Egypt, Ps 81:6; they used earthenware during their passage through the wilderness; and from the earliest time of their settlement in Canaan the trade was established among them. In Jerusalem there was a royal establishment of potters, 1 Chr 4:23, from which it has been conjectured that the potter's field received its name. The method employed by the Israelites and often hinted at by the prophets seems to have been exactly the same as that employed by the Egyptians, such as we find it minutely illustrated by Egyptian wall-paintings. The clay was trodden by the feet into a uniform paste, Isa 41:25; Wisd. 16:7, and a sufficient mass was then placed by the potter on the wooden disc of the wheel. The wheel was turned by the hand or worked by a treadle, Isa 45:9; Jer 18:3, but generally by an attendant, and not by the potter himself. When finished the vessel was coated with glaze and burnt in a furnace. Such vessels were used, however, not only for culinary purposes, but also as a means of preservation; from Jer 32:14 it appears that deeds were kept in them.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. The vessels or ware made by potters; earthenware, glazed and baked.

2. The place where earthen vessels are made.