Jeremiah 51:36

Sea. Heb. yam, sometimes used in reference to rivers (see Isa. 19:5; Nahum 3:8, where yam is used of the Nile). That such is the thought of the prophet here seems evident from the fact that Babylonia was characterized by its system of rivers and canals (see on Jer. 50:12, 38).

Jeremiah’s reference here may be to the diverting of the waters of the Euphrates, by which means the Medo-Persian troops gained entrance to Babylon (see on v. 32). It is an interesting fact also, though perhaps not the intent of this prophecy, that the Euphrates River, which in ancient times flowed through the heart of the city and made it a great center of commerce, now follows a new course some distance to the west of the ruins of Babylon. The piers of the famous bridge that once spanned the river in the center of the city are now lying in dry ground. See Babylon and Environs.