Psalms 137
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By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 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.
4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 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.
7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 137:1-9
How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?
1By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4How shall we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
7Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!”
8O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 137:1-9
Psalm 137
1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
3for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.
7Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”
8Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
I do not know what it is like to be a captive in a foreign land, but I do know what it is like to be homesick.
While serving as a student missionary, I spent many hours reminiscing with my best friend about my home in the United States. We would make up songs about our homeland and watch planes take off into the sunset, reminding ourselves that “one day that will be us, heading home.”
Sometimes, I feel that same kind of homesickness for heaven. I long to be reunited with my mother, restored to full health, and freed from evil. Come to think of it, maybe I do know what it is like to be a captive in a foreign land, for certainly this world is not my home. Sometimes my longing for the better world is so intense that I am left feeling despondent and trapped here on Planet Earth.
But like this Psalmist, who hints at a fear of forgetting his homeland, I would rather be homesick for heaven than attached to this world. Wouldn’t you?
Lori Futcher
Freelance Writer and Editor
Cleveland, Tennessee, USA (as of this writing)
