ירמיהו, פרק נ״א, פסוק ס״ד

Throwing a written scroll into a river is a powerful symbolic action that seals the fate of the Babylonian empire while offering hope to the exiled Judeans. Reading this prophecy aloud in Hebrew on Babylonian soil carries a deeply encouraging message for the exiles. It urges them to remain strong, assuring them that their enemies are destined to be destroyed [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, when a prophet performs a physical action as a sign, it guarantees that the prophecy will absolutely come true. This physical confirmation prevents any spiritual accusations or claims that the sins of the Israelites might somehow delay the downfall of Babylon [חומת אנך].

The prophetic declaration makes it clear that Babylon will sink, experiencing a deep downward fall [מצודת ציון]. Just as the physical book sinks beneath the water, the great empire will sink into the depths of destruction. It will never rise again, completely unable to survive or recover from the disaster that is about to strike [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. In this ruined state, the people of Babylon will be left entirely exhausted, broken, and drained of all their strength. They will be so powerless that they will not be able to defend themselves or fight back against their attackers [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The conclusion of this message marks a significant transition, though commentators offer different perspectives on its exact meaning. One approach explains that this simply signals the end of the prophecies specifically targeting Babylon, wrapping up a detailed description of the disaster that will overtake the empire [רד״ק]. A widely accepted view focuses on the structure of the biblical book itself. According to this perspective, the content that follows is no longer prophecy, but rather a historical record detailing the prophet's life, the destruction, and the resulting exile [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, another view suggests that this moment marks the absolute end of Jeremiah's prophetic career. Following the principle that the spirit of prophecy departs from a prophet before his death, once he completed this final message about Babylon, his ability to prophesy ceased entirely [רד״ק].