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About this chapterAn exile's lament by the rivers of Babylon. The captives sat and wept when they remembered Zion, hung their harps on the willows, and refused to sing the Lord's songs for captors who asked them for entertainment. The writer vows never to forget Jerusalem, saying his right hand should fail and his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth if he does. The psalm then asks God to remember Edom's role on the day Jerusalem fell, and ends with a shocking wish about the children of Babylon. Readers take that last line as raw, honest grief given over to God, not as a model for revenge.

An exile's lament by the rivers of Babylon. The captives sat and wept when they remembered Zion, hung their harps on the willows, and refused to sing the Lord's songs for captors who asked them for entertainment. The writer vows never to forget Jerusalem, saying his right hand should fail and his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth if he does. The psalm then asks God to remember Edom's role on the day Jerusalem fell, and ends with a shocking wish about the children of Babylon. Readers take that last line as raw, honest grief given over to God, not as a model for revenge.

Themes

  • Exile and grief
  • Remembering Jerusalem
  • Honest lament
  • Songs in a foreign land

Key verses

Audio Bible · Psalms 137

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Psalms 137

Berean Standard Bible9 verses · 1 min read

1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2There on the willows we hung our harps, 3for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.” 4How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land? 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function. 6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy! 7Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!” 8O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us. 9Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
Verses in Psalms 137
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