Jeremiah 51:13

13 O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures, Your end has come, The measure of your covetousness.

Jeremiah 51:13 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 51:13

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, ( Psalms 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, ( Revelation 17:1 Revelation 17:15 ) ; 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,''

Jeremiah 51:13 In-Context

11 Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple.
12 Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures, Your end has come, The measure of your covetousness.
14 The Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself: "Surely I will fill you with men, as with locusts, And they shall lift up a shout against you."
15 He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.