Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 51:13
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, [and] the measure of thy covetousness.
13. upon many waters ] See on Jer 50:38.
abundant in treasures ] conveyed to Babylon from the conquered provinces.
the measure of thy covetousness ] better, the cubit where thou shalt be cut off. The metaphor is taken from weaving. “The web of thy destiny is finished. Cf. for the figure Isa 38:12 (where the word for ‘cut off’ is the same as here).” Dr.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. 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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Babylon is said to dwell upon many waters, because upon the great river Euphrates, which they say did not only run by it, but almost encompass it, branching itself into many smaller rivers, which made several parts of the city islands.
Abundant in treasures; it is a city much noted in Scripture for wealth, and made much more wealthy than it was by traffic by the conquest of many nations.
Thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness: the prophet tells them that now their gathering time was over, there was now a boundary set to their covetousness; in the Hebrew it is, the cubit of thy covetousness, which is by our translators well translated a measure, because it was amongst the Jews the common measure of height and depth. The word by us translated covetousness, as Exo 18:21, may either signify riches, the object of their covetousness, or prosperity, or that unlawful desire of having more, which is properly called covetousness, either because they should be destroyed utterly, or because they should prosper no more; there was no end put to the Babylonians lusts, but there was an end put to the satisfaction of their lusts.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. waters (Jer 51:32;Jer 51:36; see on Isa21:1). The Euphrates surrounded the city and, being divided intomany channels, formed islands. Compare as to spiritual Babylon”waters,” that is, “many peoples,” Rev 17:1;Rev 17:15. A large lake also wasnear Babylon.
measureliterally,”cubit,” which was the most common measure, and thereforeis used for a measure in general. The time for putting a limitto thy covetousness [GESENIUS].There is no “and” in the Hebrew: translate,”thine end, the retribution for thy covetousness”[GROTIUS]. MAURERtakes the image to be from weaving: “the cubit where thou art tobe cut off”; for the web is cut off, when the required number ofcubits is completed (Isa 38:12).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
O thou that dwellest upon many waters,…. Here Babylon is addressed, either by the Lord, or by the prophet, or the godly Jews; who is described by her, situation, which was by the great river Euphrates; which being branched out into several canals or rivers, both ran through it, and encompassed it; hence mention is made of the rivers of Babylon, Ps 137:1; and a fit emblem this city was of mystical Babylon, which is also said to sit on many waters, interpreted of people and nations, Re 17:1; and which Kimchi here interprets of an affluence of good things, though he admits of the literal sense of the words:
abundant in treasures: of corn, and of the fruits of the earth, and so in condition to hold out a siege, as well as strongly fortified by art and nature, before described; and of gold and silver, the sinews of war, which she had got together, partly by commerce, and partly by the spoil of other nations; and yet neither her situation nor her affluence could secure her from ruin:
thine end is come, [and] the measure of thy covetousness; this flourishing city was now near its end, and with it the whole Babylonish monarchy; the time fixed by the Lord, for the duration of one and the other, was now come; and whereas her covetousness was insatiable, and would have known no bounds, for the enlargement of her dominions, and for the accumulation of more wealth and riches; God set a limit to it, beyond which it should not go; which measure was now filled up, and the time for it expired. The Targum is,
“the day of thy destruction is come, and the time of the visitation of thy wickedness,”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The word שכנתי, shekenti, is to be taken here for שכנת, shekenet, a dweller; and the passage is more clear when we take it as the title of Babylon. And he says that she was a dweller among waters, because the Euphrates not only flowed by the city, (and we know that it was a very large river,) but it surrounded it; and it, was indeed divided above Babylon into many streams, so that it made as it were many islands, and thus access to the city was more difficult. This circumstance served not only for a defense to it, but also for other advantages.: For these streams or channels were navigable; and the land also was made more fertile by the irrigation they supplied. Thus these streams contributed to its wealth as well as to its defense in time of war. And though Babylon was deemed on this account impregnable, and was also a very fertile land, yet the Prophet says here that its end was come
Now, except he had made this preface, that Babylon was situated among the rivers or many waters, and that it was also a city full of wealth, all this might have seemed a hindrance to prevent God from executing on it his vengeance; for this objection was ready at hand, “How can Babylon be taken, which is seated between many waters? for without great force and number of soldiers it cannot but remain in safety, since it is protected by so many rivers.” Then another objection might have been brought forward, that Babylon was an opulent city, so that it could hire auxiliaries on every side, and that having such abundance of money, it would never be unprotected. Hence the Prophet here mentions these two things; but what he says ought to be taken adversatively, as if he said, “Though thou dwellest among many waters, and art great in treasures, that is, hast large treasures, yet thine end is come.”
He adds, the measure of thy cupidity. Some render אמת, amet, “ end, ” but improperly; and the Prophet has not without reason introduced the word אמת, amet, which properly means a cubit, but is to be taken here for measure. Jerome renders it “a foot,” a word in use in his age. But the meaning is sufficiently clear, that though Babylon had exhausted all the wealth of the world as an insatiable gulf, yet the measure of her cupidity would come. For the cupidity of that nation was unlimited, but God at length brought it to an end — not that they were amended, but that God checked their coveting. And according to this sense the Prophet says, that though they had been hitherto devouring the wealth of many countries, yet the measure of her cupidity was come, even because the Lord would take away, together with the monarchy, the power and opportunity of doing wrong. For the Chaldeans were able to act licentiously, when they had so many nations subject to them; but the measure of their cupidity was come, when God in a manner cut off their strength, not that they then desisted, or that their rapacious disposition was amended — for they changed not their nature; but cupidity is to be referred here to its exercise, even because their power was then taken from them, so that they could not carry on their plunders as they had used to do. He afterwards adds, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) O thou that dwellest upon many waters.The words find an illustration of singular interest in an inscription of Nebuchadnezzars given by Oppert (Expd. en Msop. i. p. 231): I made water to flow all around in this immense dyke of earth. I carried an aqueduct across these great waters that are like unto the depths of the sea. See also Records of the Past, v. 128. The channels which were cut for the waters of the Euphrates seemed at once intended for a line of defence against attack, and for irrigation and navigation. To some extent Babylon, though an inland city, must have presented an appearance like that of Venice or Amsterdam.
The measure of thy covetousness.The measure is literally an ell, and for covetousness many commentators give the meaning of that which is cut off, a piece or section. So taken, we may translate the ell-measure of thy portion, the allotted time of prosperity decreed in the Divine counsels. Others, following the Vulgate, pedalis precisionis tu, give the ell-measure of thy cutting off, i.e., the appointed time of destruction.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Dwellest upon many waters An allusion to the elaborate system of irrigation in the Babylonian plain, to which was due its extraordinary fruitfulness, and in some degree the eminence of Babylon herself.
Measure of thy covetousness The limit of thine unjust gain.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 51:13. O thou that dwells, &c. Upon the river Euphrates, which encompassed Babylon, and was thought to render the city impregnable. Many waters also signify mystically the many people over whom this was the reigning city. Compare Rev 17:1; Rev 17:15.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 51:13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, [and] the measure of thy covetousness.
Ver. 13. O thou that dwellest upon many waters. ] Euphrates and Tigris especially, famous rivers running from Babylonia into the Persian Sea. Hence most geographers hold, and not improbably, that that land was a part of the garden of Eden; fruitful it was beyond credulity.
Thine end is come, and the measure (Heb., the cubit) of thy covetousness.] Cuius avaritiae totus non sufficit orbis. The covetous cormorant’s mouth, with his Give, give, shall shortly be stopped with a spadeful of mould, and his “never enough” quit with fire enough in the bottom of hell.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
upon many waters. Compare Jer 51:42, and Jer 50:38, also Rev 17:1, Rev 17:15.
covetousness = dishonest or unrighteous gain.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
dwellest: Jer 51:36, Rev 17:1, Rev 17:15
abundant: Jer 50:37, Isa 45:3, Hab 2:5-10, Rev 18:11-17
thine: Jer 17:11, Jer 50:27, Jer 50:31, Gen 6:13, Lam 4:18, Eze 7:2-12, Dan 5:26, Amo 8:2, 1Pe 4:7
and the: Hab 2:9-11, Luk 12:19-21, 2Pe 2:3, 2Pe 2:14, 2Pe 2:15, Jud 1:11 -13; Rev 18:19
Reciprocal: Num 24:7 – many waters Isa 21:6 – Go Isa 27:1 – in the sea Eze 17:4 – into Eze 21:25 – whose Nah 2:8 – like Hab 2:8 – thou Joh 3:23 – much
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 51:13. Waters refers to the River Euphrates that flowed through the city of Babylon. It is a mighty stream and was the pride of the Chaldean capital. Measure of thy coveteoumess denotes that the sad end about to come upon the city will be appropriate in view of her grasping disposition.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 51:13-19. O thou that dwellest upon many waters The river Euphrates ran through the midst of Babylon, and there was a prodigious lake of water on one side of the city, besides other lesser waters near it, so that it was in a manner encompassed with waters. Many waters do likewise signify mystically the many people over which this was the reigning city: see Rev 17:15. Abundant in treasures Not only enriched by traffic, but by the conquest and spoil of many nations. Thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness God has set bounds to thy covetousness, which it shall not pass over: thou shalt no more increase in wealth, but an end shall be put to all thy designs of this sort. The Lord of hosts hath sworn by himself The Lord, who is well able to make his words good, hath sworn by himself, for he could swear by no greater, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men as with caterpillars Or, locusts, as, according to Bochart, the word properly signifies. Armies are often compared to caterpillars, locusts, and such like devouring insects. He hath made the earth by his power, &c. It is he who, by his immense power, has made all these wonderful things which we see about us, and adorned and settled them by his wisdom, that has pronounced this concerning Babylon: and therefore you need not be doubtful respecting its accomplishment, since he who could create these mighty works, can certainly, whenever he pleases, effect what is infinitely more easy, the ruin of Babylon. But for an elucidation of this, and the four following verses, see notes on Jer 10:12-16.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
51:13 O thou that dwellest upon many {i} waters, abundant in treasures, thy end is come, [and] the measure of thy covetousness.
(i) For the land of Chaldea was full of rivers which ran into the Euphrates.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The end of wealthy Babylon, which stood by many waters, had come. A myriad of canals and waterways provided water and irrigation for Mesopotamia. Babylon’s great wealth had come to her largely from the temples and palaces of other nations that she had captured (cf. Jer 52:12-13; Jer 52:17-23; 2Ki 24:13; 2Ki 25:13-17; Dan 5:2-4). Her end would come as when someone cut a piece of cloth from a loom, a common figure for death (cf. Isa 38:12).