clay

A plastic (pliable) material composed of various types of earth combined with moisture. The earliest and most widespread use of clay by human beings appears to have been for the production of pottery. Clay was also formed into brick for the construction of houses and other buildings (Exod 5:6-9). Clay tablets were used in ancient Mesopotamia as the medium on which to preserve writing. In the NT, clay functions as a therapeutic agent in an account of Jesus healing a blind man (John 9:11).