Jeremiah 51:13 · Bible study
Jeremiah 51:13 Commentary: Judgment on Babylon's Waters and Treasures
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jeremiah 51:13 declares Babylon's end despite its waters and treasures. Explore the meaning of 'the measure of your covetousness'.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God’s judgment on Babylon is certain despite its defenses and wealth.
- Key words: waters (מַיִם), treasures (אוֹצָר), end (קֵץ), cubit (אַמָּה), covetousness/gain (בֶּצַע).
- Main debate: Is 'the measure of your covetousness' a limit set by God or a weaving metaphor for the end of life?
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over history and the boundaries he sets on human sin.
- Best use: A warning against pride and a comfort to the oppressed that God will judge their oppressors.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You who dwell on many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness.
KJV King James Version 1769
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy covetousness.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
O dweller on many waters, abundant in treasures, Come in hath thine end, the measure of thy dishonest gain.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy rapacity.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, rich in treasures, thy end is come for thy entire destruction.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
La que moras entre muchas aguas, rica en tesoros, venido ha tu fin, la medida de tu codicia.
Tu que habitas sobre muitas águas, rica em tesouros, chegou o teu fim, o limite de tua ganância.
Toi qui habites près des grandes eaux,
Die du an großen Wassern wohnst und große Schätze hast, dein Ende ist gekommen, und dein Geiz ist aus!
Gij, die aan vele wateren woont, die machtig zijt van schatten! uw einde is gekomen, de maat uwer gierigheid.
O tu che abiti in riva alle grandi acque, tu che abbondi di tesori, la tua fine è giunta, il termine delle tue rapine!
O ty, który mieszkasz nad wodami wielkiemi! o bogaty w skarby! przyszedł koniec twój, kres łakomstwa twego.
О, ты, живущий при водах великих, изобилующий сокровищами! пришел конец твой, мера жадности твоей.
住 在 眾 水 之上多有 財寶的啊，你的結局 到了！你貪婪 之量滿了！
O you whose living-place is by the wide waters, whose stores are great, your end is come, your evil profit is ended.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Jeremiah 51:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators uniformly recognize this verse as a pronouncement of certain judgment on Babylon, despite its natural advantages. The 'many waters' refer to Babylon's extensive canal system fed by the Euphrates (Calvin, Gill), which provided both defense and irrigation for great wealth. The 'end' is God's appointed time for Babylon's destruction (Jeremiah 50:27, 31). However, the final phrase 'the measure of your covetousness' draws two main interpretations. Some, like Barnes and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, understand it as God's limit on Babylon's greed, its measure of iniquity is full. Others, including the Cambridge Bible and Maurer, take the phrase as a weaving metaphor: 'the cubit where you are cut off,' as when a weaver cuts the completed cloth (Isaiah 38:12). Both readings affirm that God sets a boundary on sin and brings history to its appointed conclusion.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- God’s limit on greed: The word 'measure' suggests a boundary set by God; covetousness has a limit beyond which judgment falls.
- Weaving metaphor: 'Cubit' is a weaver’s measure; Isaiah 38:12 uses the same image of life cut off from the loom.
- Retribution interpretation: Grotius read the phrase as 'the retribution for your covetousness,' i.e., the punishment matches the sin.
What is clear: God declares that Babylon’s end has come, and its wealth and defenses cannot prevent the judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The identity of 'the many waters' | All commentators agree it refers literally to the Euphrates River and the canals of Babylon. | Some, following Revelation 17:15, also interpret 'waters' symbolically as many peoples and nations ruled by Babylon. |
| The meaning of 'treasures' | Widely understood as the gold, silver, and goods amassed by conquest and trade. | No significant debate; though some note that the treasures themselves become plunder (Jeremiah 50:37). |
| The phrase 'the measure of your covetousness' | All agree it signifies God’s judgment on Babylon’s greedy and violent acquisition. | One interpretation sees it as God’s limit or boundary on covetousness (Barnes); another reads it as a weaver's cubit, indicating the moment when life is cut off (Cambridge Bible, Maurer). A third (Grotius) views it as retribution for covetousness. |
| Historical fulfillment | The verse prophesies the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians (c. 539 BC). | Some Christian readers apply it additionally to the end-times judgment of 'Babylon the Great' (Revelation 17, 18), but this is an extrapolation beyond the original context. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Babylon sat astride the Euphrates River, which was channeled into a vast network of canals for irrigation, defense, and transport. Calvin describes how the river was 'divided above Babylon into many streams, so that it made as it were many islands,' making the city appear impregnable. This water system also fed the city's legendary hanging gardens and allowed it to become a center of trade. The 'many waters' thus combine literal geography and a symbol of Babylon's power and self-reliance.
The 'abundant in treasures' reflects Nebuchadnezzar's conquests. Babylon had plundered nations including Judah, carrying off temple vessels and wealth. Yet Jeremiah, writing from the perspective of the sixth century BC, announces that these very treasures cannot purchase security. The verse belongs to a longer oracle (chapters 50, 51) in which Yahweh summons the Medes as his instrument of judgment (Jeremiah 51:11, 28). The surrounding context repeatedly stresses that Babylon's pride, idolatry, and mistreatment of Israel have filled a cup of wrath (Jeremiah 51:7).
For Jeremiah's original audience, exiled Jews hearing these words, the message was one of hope: the oppressor would not stand forever. The waters that seemed to shield Babylon would become its grave when Yahweh dried up its sea (Jeremiah 51:36). This historical setting underscores the theme that no human power can thwart the purposes of God.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Jeremiah 51:13. The Hebrew text is well preserved, and the minor differences in English versions (e.g., 'covetousness' vs. 'dishonest gain' vs. 'rapacity') reflect lexical choices rather than manuscript disagreements.
Reception History
From the early church, this verse has been read as a prophecy against any world power that exalts itself against God. The image of 'many waters' was connected to Revelation’s description of Babylon the Great sitting on many waters (Revelation 17:1, 15), symbolizing the peoples of the world. The phrase 'the measure of your covetousness' has been cited in ethical teachings on the danger of greed, particularly the idea that sin accumulates until God decrees an end. In Reformation-era commentaries, the verse was used to affirm God’s sovereignty over even the mightiest empires and to comfort persecuted believers that their oppressors would not last forever.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Illusion of Security: Babylon trusted in its waters (natural defenses) and its treasures (economic strength). Both failed when God moved. Our own securities, finances, location, reputation, offer no lasting protection if they become objects of trust (Jeremiah 17:11).
- The Certainty of Judgment: 'Your end has come.' God sets a date for every arrogant power. The language echoes Genesis 6:13, where the flood ended a corrupt world. Judgment is not arbitrary; it is the necessary consequence of sin that has reached its limit.
- The Limits of Human Greed: The measure of covetousness is both a quantity (God's appointed boundary) and a quality (the cutting off of life, like a weaver's cloth). Greed never satisfies, but God says, 'Enough'; history stops where he decides.
Five-point outline
- Address to the proud city: 'You who dwell on many waters', a title intended to remind Babylon of its vulnerability, not its glory.
- Source of wealth: 'Abundant in treasures', not a blessing but a testimony to robbery (Jeremiah 50:37).
- Appointed end: Not a natural decline but a divine intervention. The 'end' is both a termination and a purpose (the goal of God's plan).
- The measuring line: Whether understood as a limit or a weaver's rule, God has taken the measure of Babylon's sin and found it full.
- Collapse of false confidence: The waters that once protected now provide the imagery of destruction (Jeremiah 51:36).
Illustration hooks
- A dam that appears strong but has internal cracks. Everyone thinks it will hold, but when it fails, the water that was a resource becomes a flood of ruin.
- The wealthy person who believes their money can insulate them from trouble. Then an illness, a market crash, or a lawsuit strips everything away. Jeremiah 51:13 names that moment before it happens.
- A weaver at a loom: the cloth grows for months, then suddenly the weaver cuts it off at the exact length intended. So God knows the precise point at which a nation's or a person's sin reaches completion.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse mean God will always judge rich nations? Not every wealthy nation is Babylon, but the pattern warns that power and greed invite divine scrutiny.
- How do I know if I am trusting in my own 'waters and treasures'? Examine whether anxiety over losing them outweighs trust in God's provision.
- Why does it seem that evil thrives for so long? The phrase 'day of visitation' (Jeremiah 50:27, 31) suggests God acts at the right time, not ours.
Leading a Discussion
Jeremiah 51:13 confronts us with a God who sets limits on human sin. Babylon's defenses and wealth could not postpone its end. As you study this verse, consider what 'waters' and 'treasures' represent in your own life, the things you count on for security. How does God's promise to judge evil give you hope, especially when oppression seems to have no end?
Discussion questions
- What do the 'many waters' and 'abundant in treasures' tell us about Babylon’s self-confidence? List specific advantages the city had.
- Why does Jeremiah first describe Babylon's strengths before announcing its end? How does this structure affect how the message lands?
- The word translated 'covetousness' (Hebrew betsa) often means unjust gain or profit acquired by violence. What does that nuance add to the judgment?
- Read Isaiah 38:12, where a similar weaving image appears. How does the metaphor of a weaver cutting the cloth help you understand God's sovereignty over time and events?
- The 'measure' was a standard of length. In what areas of life do we try to measure ourselves, and why does God’s measure differ from ours?
- How does this verse speak to God’s people when they are under an unjust power? Who is the original audience, and what hope does this give them?
- In your own spiritual walk, where are you tempted to trust in your own 'waters' (natural advantages) rather than in God’s promise to be your defense?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 6:13 | God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth. |
| Isaiah 45:3 | I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who calls you by your name, even the God of Israel. |
| Jeremiah 17:11 | As the partridge that sits on eggs which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right. In the middle of his days, they will leave him. At his end, he will be a fool. |
| Jeremiah 50:27 | Kill all her bulls. Let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them! For their day has come, the time of their visitation. |
| Jeremiah 50:31 | “Behold, I am against you, you proud one,” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies; “for your day has come, the time that I will visit you. |
| Jeremiah 50:37 | A sword is on their horses, on their chariots, and on all the mixed people who are in the middle of her; and they will become as women. A sword is on her treasures, and they will be robbed. |
| Jeremiah 51:36 | Therefore Yahweh says: “Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry. |
| Lamentations 4:18 | They hunt our steps, so that we can’t go in our streets. Our end is near. Our days are fulfilled, for our end has come. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the "many waters" as Babylonia's extensive canal system, not just the Euphrates. He then offers two readings of the phrase about covetousness: either the appointed end of all your gain, or the measurement at which your life is cut off from the loom like finished cloth.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the Hebrew word for "dweller" applied to Babylon, stressing its location among the Euphrates' many waters and great treasures. Despite these natural defenses and wealth that made the city seem impregnable, the Prophet declares its end has come. Calvin reads this as a contrast: human security cannot stop God's judgment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the phrase "measure of thy covetousness" is better translated as "the cubit where thou shalt be cut off," a metaphor from weaving that pictures a finished web of destiny. It also connects "abundant in treasures" to wealth brought to Babylon from conquered provinces.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that Babylon's location on many waters and her abundant treasures fueled her covetousness. God's judgment is specific: it brings an end not just to her power but directly to the greed that defined her. The punishment matches the sin.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill observes that Babylon’s wealth and many rivers, which made her seem secure, actually marked the limit of her insatiable covetousness. God set a boundary for her greed; when that measure was filled, the time for her destruction had arrived.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB treats the waters as a double reference: literally the Euphrates around Babylon and symbolically the many peoples supporting spiritual Babylon. On the word for measure he leaves several meanings open—a limit to covetousness, retribution for it, or the length at which a weaver's cloth is cut off.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see two distinct reasons for Babylon's certain destruction: God's unbroken commitment to Israel, whom Babylon holds captive, and Babylon's own heavy guilt against the Holy One of Israel. Babylon was God's golden cup of wrath, but now falls suddenly and beyond repair. No attempt to heal it succeeds.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees God's judgment on Babylon as the answer to two questions that troubled God's people: is God still with Israel? and will Babylon's wickedness go unpunished? For him, the destroying wind and fanners are instruments of divine justice, proving that God has neither deserted His own nor overlooked the temple's desecration.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains that Babylon is described as dwelling on many waters because the Euphrates River did not merely run alongside the city but nearly surrounded it. The river split into many smaller streams, turning several sections of the city into islands.