איוב, פרק י״ד, פסוק י״א

The powerful imagery of emptying seas and drying rivers serves to illustrate the absolute finality of death and the fragility of human existence. Even the most formidable and stable forces of nature can change and eventually vanish, reflecting the ultimate destiny of humanity [תקות אנוש].

The primary approach among commentators is that this natural cause-and-effect process acts as a metaphor for human fate [אבן עזרא]. A river relies entirely on the sea from which it flows. Once the sea's waters depart and the source fails, the river it feeds dries up completely and cannot replenish itself [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רמב״ן, מלבי״ם]. This irreversible drying process can occur through various natural means, such as when fierce storm winds push away and dry up the sea waters [תקות אנוש], or when water spills onto dry land and can never be gathered back [רמב״ן].

Just as the depletion of these great bodies of water is an absolute and permanent process [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון], so too is the end of human life. A person laid to rest in the grave will never rise again, nor will they be awakened by God [רש״י, רמב״ן, ביאור שטיינזלץ, תקות אנוש]. To highlight the complete helplessness of humanity in the face of death, a contrast is drawn with the natural world. While a withered tree might bloom once more if given water, one could pour all the waters of the world's seas and rivers over a dead body until those sources run completely dry, and it would still fail to restore life [מלבי״ם].

Alongside this physical understanding, a spiritual approach interprets the drying waters as a profound metaphor for the journey of the soul. In this view, the sea represents the Throne of Glory, from which the soul draws an abundance of spiritual water as it descends into the world. When a person sins, these pure waters diminish. Consequently, the river, which represents the person, progressively dries up from one lifetime to the next. The spiritual flaws and impurities acquired in a previous life make it increasingly difficult for the individual to achieve purity and correction in subsequent reincarnations, ultimately leading to a state of complete spiritual emptiness [אלשיך].