“O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 51:13 Mean?
"O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness." Babylon is addressed by its defining features: seated on many waters (the Euphrates and its canal system) and abundant in treasures (the richest empire in the world). And the verdict: your END has come. The measure of your covetousness has been reached. The fullness of your greed has arrived at its limit. The cup of avarice is full and now tips over.
The phrase "dwellest upon many waters" (shokhanti al mayim rabbim) identifies Babylon by its geography: the city straddled the Euphrates River and was fed by an elaborate canal system. The 'many waters' were Babylon's life-support — the irrigation that made the desert bloom, the river that carried commerce, the waterways that made the empire possible. The geography that sustained Babylon is named as Babylon is condemned.
The "measure of thy covetousness" (ammat bitz'ekh — the cubit/measure of your unjust gain) treats greed as something MEASURABLE: the covetousness has a dimension, a quantity, a limit. The greed wasn't infinite — it had a MEASURE, and that measure has been reached. The cup of avarice held a specific amount. That amount is now full. The overflow is the judgment.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What measure of covetousness is being filled — and how close to overflowing?
- 2.What does greed having a MEASURE (a limit, a capacity) teach about accumulated sin reaching a tipping point?
- 3.How does sitting on 'many waters' and having 'abundant treasures' still leading to 'thine end' challenge wealth-based security?
- 4.What unjust gain in your life is adding to a measure that will eventually overflow?
Devotional
You sit on many waters. You're overflowing with treasures. And your end has come — because the MEASURE of your covetousness has been reached. The greed had a limit. The greed reached it. And now it overflows into judgment.
The 'many waters' and 'abundant in treasures' are Babylon's resume: the greatest river system in the ancient world and the greatest accumulation of wealth. The waters made the agriculture possible. The agriculture made the commerce possible. The commerce made the treasures possible. Everything flows from the waters. And the one who sits on the waters has accumulated more than anyone else in history.
The 'thine end is come' interrupts the resume: you have the waters. You have the treasures. AND — your end has come. The abundance didn't prevent the ending. The treasures didn't delay the conclusion. The wealth that seemed to guarantee permanence is actually irrelevant to the arrival of the end. You can sit on all the water in the world and still reach your end.
The 'measure of thy covetousness' treats greed as a container with a CAPACITY: the covetousness was being measured. Every act of unjust gain added to the total. Every treasure accumulated through exploitation filled the measure further. And now the measure is FULL — the last cubit has been added, the final unit of greed has been registered, and the container is tipping over. The judgment is the overflow of accumulated greed.
What measure of covetousness is being filled in your life — and how close is it to overflowing?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
O thou that dwellest upon many waters,.... Here Babylon is addressed, either by the Lord, or by the prophet, or the…
Upon many waters - The great wealth of Babylonia was caused not merely by the Euphrates, but by a vast system of canals,…
The particulars of this copious prophecy are dispersed and interwoven, and the same things left and returned to so often…
upon many waters See on Jer 50:38.
abundant in treasures conveyed to Babylon from the conquered provinces.
the measure…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture