PITCHER (כַּד, H3902, נֵ֫בֶל֒, H5574; κεράμιον, G3040, earthenware vessel). The principal word is כַּד, H3902, which appears eighteen times in the OT, and in all but four instances is rendered “pitcher” in the KJV. In the account of Eliezer’s search for a wife for Isaac and the unique method he used to determine that Rebekah was the right woman, the word occurs nine times (Gen 24:14-46). Gideon’s attacking force was equipped with pitchers, to hide the torches until the moment of attack (Judg 7:16-20). The Heb. word also expresses the toilsomeness of pulling water from the well. The KJV tr. “barrel” in 1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16 and 1 Kings 18:33 is misleading. The Heb. נֵ֫בֶל֒, H5574, in Lamentations 4:2 is related to a verb meaning “to be withered,” and is tr. “pots.” It may mean skin bottle, but at other times the material is not the point (Isa 30:14). Its use to describe a musical instrument (prob. similar to a lyre) is interesting in that the alleged triangular shape of the instrument (Jerome) may be related to the shape of a filled skin bottle (Gesenius). See Potter.

The NT word κεράμιον, G3040, is found in Mark 14:13 and Luke 22:10. Jesus sent His disciples into the city with instructions to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water. This word refers to an earthenware vessel and is the basis of the Eng. word “ceramics.”

Bibliography R. Kittel, Biblia Hebraica; W. Gesenius, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, revised by Brown, Driver and Briggs (1962 reprint); J. Orr (ed.), ISBE, vol. IV (1939); W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (1957).