Jeremiah 51:13
in Jeremiah 51You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy covetousness.
KJV
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
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This verse in Jeremiah 51
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Upon many waters - The great wealth of Babylonia was caused not merely by the Euphrates, but by a vast system of canals, which served for defense as well as for irrigation. The measure of thy covetousness - i. e., the appointed end of thy gain. Some render it: the ell of thy cutting off, i. e., the appointed measure at which thou art to be cut off, at which thy web of existence is to be severed from the loom.
This site's exposition
the spirit of the kings of the Medes
on Jeremiah 51:11-14
The attacker is now named: “The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes,” the power allied with Cyrus when Babylon fell. Babylon may “post the guard”, for the LORD “has both devised and accomplished what He spoke.” Babylon dwells “by many waters, rich in treasures.”
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Waters - Babylon is said to dwell upon many waters, because the great river Euphrates, did not only run by it, but almost encompass it branching itself into many smaller rivers, which made several parts of the city, islands.
God, by the destruction of Babylon, said to its proud waves, Hitherto shall you come, and no further. Note, if men will not set a measure to their covetousness by wisdom and grace, God will set a measure to it by his judgments. Babylon, thinking herself very safe and very great, was very proud; but she will be deceived (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
O thou that dwellest upon many waters,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
A large lake also was near Babylon. measure--literally, "cubit," which was the most common measure, and therefore is used for a measure in general. The time for putting a limit to thy covetousness [GESENIUS]. There is no "and" in the Hebrew: translate, "thine end, the retribution for thy covetousness" [GROTIUS].
O thou that dwellest upon many waters - Thou who hast an abundant supply of waters. It was built on the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates; the latter running through the city. But the many waters may mean the many nations which belonged to the Babylonish empire; nations and people are frequently so called in Scripture.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שֹׁכַנְתְּ֙ | shokhanti | O [one who] dwells | H7931 → | 129 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | at | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מַ֣יִם | mayim | waters | H4325 → | 581 times |
| רַבִּ֔ים | rabim | many | H7227 → | 454 times |
| רַבַּ֖ת | rabat | greatness of | H7227 → | 454 times |
| אֽוֹצָרֹ֑ת | ʾotzarot | treasures | H214 → | 79 times |
| בָּ֥א | ba' | it has come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| קִצֵּ֖ךְ | kitzekh | end your | H7093 → | 67 times |
| אַמַּ֥ת | ʾamat | [the] cubit of | H520 → | 247 times |
| בִּצְעֵֽךְ׃ | bitzekh | cutting off your | H1215 → | 23 times |
שֹׁכַנְתְּ֙O [one who] dwells
shokhantiH7931 →129 times
עַל־at
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מַ֣יִםwaters
mayimH4325 →581 times
רַבִּ֔יםmany
rabimH7227 →454 times
רַבַּ֖תgreatness of
rabatH7227 →454 times
אֽוֹצָרֹ֑תtreasures
ʾotzarotH214 →79 times
בָּ֥אit has come
ba'H935 →2568 times
קִצֵּ֖ךְend your
kitzekhH7093 →67 times
אַמַּ֥ת[the] cubit of
ʾamatH520 →247 times
בִּצְעֵֽךְ׃cutting off your
bitzekhH1215 →23 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 45:3I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
it leads to
- Isaiah 48:15
I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.
- Isaiah 43:1
Now this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your…
- Exodus 33:17
So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
- Exodus 33:12
Then Moses said to the LORD, “Look, You have been telling me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I…
- Ezra 1:2
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at…
- Isaiah 48:15
Through
Genesis 6:13Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.
it leads to
- Hosea 4:1–2
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God…
- Hosea 4:1–2
Through
Revelation 17:1Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
it leads to
- Revelation 19:2
For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her…
- Revelation 17:1–17
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
- Revelation 19:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Jeremiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Carl Friedrich Keil, The Prophecies of Jeremiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.