The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.
Parallel translations
- WEB The sea has come up on Babylon. She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
- BSB The sea has come up over Babylon; she is covered in turbulent waves.
- NKJV The sea has come up over Babylon; She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
- NASB “The sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.
- NLT The sea has risen over Babylon; she is covered by its crashing waves.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The sea has risen over Babylon, covering her with its roaring waves. An overwhelming flood of enemies engulfs the city.
Overview
The 'sea' and its 'waves' symbolize the surging armies of nations sweeping over Babylon, an image of chaotic, unstoppable force. The waters that once secured her now drown her. This reversal shows that what people trust for safety can become the means of their ruin, while only the Lord is a sure refuge in the flood, a refuge realized in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 8:7–8Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:
- Dan 9:26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
- Ps 65:7Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
- Ps 93:3The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
- Ps 18:16He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
- Ps 42:7Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
- Jer 51:55Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
- Ps 18:4The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
- Luke 21:25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
- Rev 17:15–16And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
- Ezek 27:26–34Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 51:42 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.