ירמיהו, פרק נ״א, פסוק מ״ב

The fall of a great empire is captured through the powerful poetic image of a giant wave washing over the land and drowning everything beneath it. The primary approach among commentators is that the sea rising over Babylon is a metaphor. It does not refer to an actual body of water, but rather to a massive army of enemies flooding the kingdom [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Led by a king and his camp, this military force is so vast that it blankets the entire country [רד״ק]. The sheer volume of this enemy flood is meant to drown the nation completely, achieving total ruin without even the need for a conventional battle [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The invasion involves an enormous quantity of warriors and soldiers, and it is this massive multitude that seals Babylon's fate [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. The picture of destruction is completed with the concept of total concealment, as the nation is entirely covered and vanishes under the countless waves of the enemy forces sweeping over it [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Offering an additional perspective, another approach views this overwhelming flood as a third and later stage of Babylon's downfall. In this advanced phase of destruction, the cities are reduced to absolute desolation and their mighty walls finally collapse [מלבי״ם].