Christianity

Psalms 137By the Rivers of Babylon

Summary

Psalm 137 is a lament of the exiles in Babylon. By its rivers they sat down and wept when they remembered Zion, and hung their harps upon the willows when their captors demanded the songs of Zion. The singer vows that if he forgets Jerusalem his right hand should forget its skill and his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth. It ends with bitter cries against Edom and Babylon, including a blessing on whoever dashes Babylon's little ones against the stones, a verse readers have long struggled with.

Key verse

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”

Psalms 137:1

Themes

Exile
Memory of Zion
Grief and Song
Cry for Justice

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Christianity
Jeremiah 29: Seek the Peace of the City
Jeremiah 29 sends the exiles different counsel, to build houses, plant gardens and seek the peace of the city of their captivity, a contrasting response to life in Babylon.
Christianity
Obadiah: Edom's Betrayal
Obadiah condemns Edom for standing aloof and rejoicing on the day of Jerusalem's destruction, the betrayal Psalm 137:7 recalls.
Judaism
Psalm 137 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
Psalm 137 is traditionally recited before the grace after meals on ordinary weekdays, and its vow not to forget Jerusalem is spoken at many Jewish weddings before the glass is broken.

Questions about Psalms 137

How should Psalm 137:9 be understood?

The final verse voices the raw anger of people who had seen their own children killed in war, and it reflects the cruelty of ancient warfare. Jewish and Christian interpreters generally read it as an honest cry handed to God for justice rather than a command, and some early Christian writers read it allegorically as destroying evil thoughts while they are small.

What songs are based on Psalm 137?

Its opening inspired the reggae song Rivers of Babylon by the Melodians (1970), later a hit for Boney M. Verdi's chorus Va, pensiero in Nabucco also draws on the same scene of exiles longing for their homeland.