Psalms
Summary
Psalm 137 is a poignant and raw lament from the Israelite exiles in Babylon. By the rivers of Babylon, they sat and wept, hanging their harps on the poplars as they remembered Zion. It captures the pain of being ridiculed by their captors, who demanded they sing the joyful "songs of the LORD" in a foreign land. The psalm expresses a passionate and unyielding commitment to never forget Jerusalem, even in the midst of deep suffering. It ends with a startlingly candid cry for divine vengeance against those who brought about Jerusalem’s destruction, reflecting the unprocessed grief of a conquered people.
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down," they cried, "tear it down to its foundations!"
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.