Psalm 137
Psalm 137, The Mournful Song of the Exiles
Scripture Text
Psalm 137:1, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”
Psalm 137:2, “We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.”
Psalm 137:3, “For there they that carried us away captive required of us song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
Psalm 137:4, “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?”
Psalm 137:5, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.”
Psalm 137:6, “If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”
Psalm 137:7, “Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to foundation thereof.”
Psalm 137:8, “O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.”
Psalm 137:9, “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.”
Introduction
Psalm 137 is one of the most sorrowful psalms in Scripture. It is a song of exile, grief, memory, humiliation, and righteous longing for judgment. Because it remembers Babylon from the perspective of those who suffered there, many believe it was written either during the exile or after the return from exile, when the wounds of captivity were still fresh in Israel’s memory.
This psalm is not a polished religious song detached from pain. It is the cry of a people who had seen Jerusalem destroyed, the temple burned, loved ones killed, families torn apart, and survivors marched away into captivity. It records the anguish of those who remembered Zion while sitting beside the rivers of Babylon.
The psalm also forces the reader to face the severity of sin and judgment. Judah was not in Babylon by accident. The exile came because the nation had repeatedly rebelled against the LORD, ignored the prophets, worshiped idols, shed innocent blood, and refused covenant repentance. Yet Babylon’s cruelty was still real, and God would also judge the nations He used as instruments of chastening.
Psalm 137 moves in two directions. First, it sings to the self, remembering Zion and refusing to forget Jerusalem. Second, it sings about the nations, asking God to remember Edom’s treachery and declaring Babylon’s coming destruction. The psalm is painful, but it is honest. It teaches that God’s people may bring grief, outrage, memory, and longing for justice before the LORD.
A. Singing to the Self
1. Psalm 137:1 through Psalm 137:3, Mourning by Babylon’s Rivers
Psalm 137:1, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”
The psalm opens in Babylon, far from home. The people of Judah sit beside the rivers of Babylon, likely near the Euphrates or one of its canals. The geography itself would have reminded them that they were no longer in Judah. They were in the land of their captors, surrounded by the power and wealth of the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem.
The posture matters. “There we sat down.” They were not marching in triumph. They were not standing in confidence. They were seated in grief, exhaustion, and captivity. The people who once went up to Zion for worship now sat in exile beside foreign waters.
They “wept, when we remembered Zion.” Zion represented far more than a city. It represented Jerusalem, the temple, the altar, the priesthood, the Davidic throne, covenant worship, and the visible center of Israel’s national life under God. To remember Zion was to remember what had been lost.
They wept over the dead. They wept over the destroyed city. They wept over the burned temple. They wept over the shame of captivity. They wept over the cruelty of their enemies. They wept over the long road from Judah to Babylon. They wept over the loss of home. They wept over their own sin that had brought covenant judgment upon the nation.
The fall of Jerusalem was not a small tragedy. It was devastating.
2 Kings 25:8, “And in fifth month, on seventh day of month, which is nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of guard, servant of king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:”
2 Kings 25:9, “And he burnt house of LORD, and king’s house, and all houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.”
2 Kings 25:10, “And all army of Chaldees, that were with captain of guard, brake down walls of Jerusalem round about.”
2 Kings 25:11, “Now rest of people that were left in city, and fugitives that fell away to king of Babylon, with remnant of multitude, did Nebuzaradan captain of guard carry away.”
The temple was burned, the walls were broken, and the people were carried away. Psalm 137 gives the emotional and spiritual aftermath of that destruction.
Jeremiah also records the grief of Zion after judgment.
Lamentations 1:1, “How doth city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as widow! she that was great among nations, and princess among provinces, how is she become tributary!”
Lamentations 1:2, “She weepeth sore in night, and tears are on cheeks: among all lovers she hath none to comfort: all friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become enemies.”
Psalm 137 belongs to that same world of tears. The exiles were not merely homesick. They were mourning the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness and national devastation.
Psalm 137:2, “We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.”
The harps had once been instruments of praise. They were used in worship, celebration, and songs of Zion. But now they hang unused upon the willows. The image is vivid. The musicians are present. The instruments are present. But the song is gone.
This does not mean faith was gone. In fact, the psalm itself is an act of faith. But joy had been silenced for a season. There are times when grief is so deep that songs cannot be sung in the ordinary way. The harps are not destroyed, but they are hung up. That detail matters. The exiles did not throw them away. They preserved them, perhaps waiting for the day when the LORD would restore their song.
The same principle appears in the promise of restoration.
Psalm 126:1, “When the LORD turned again captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”
Psalm 126:2, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.”
Psalm 137 shows the harps hanging in grief. Psalm 126 shows the mouth filled with laughter after restoration. The LORD can restore songs that judgment and sorrow have silenced.
Psalm 137:3, “For there they that carried us away captive required of us song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
The grief becomes sharper because the captors mock the exiles. Those who carried them away captive required a song. Those who wasted them required mirth. The same people who destroyed Jerusalem now wanted entertainment from Jerusalem’s singers.
This was cruel. Babylon did not merely conquer Judah. Babylon mocked Judah’s worship. They demanded songs of Zion as though holy songs were entertainment for pagan amusement.
The phrase “songs of Zion” refers to the worship songs connected to Jerusalem, the temple, and the LORD’s covenant presence. These songs were not performance pieces for the pleasure of oppressors. They belonged to the worship of Yahweh. To sing them for Babylonian entertainment would have felt like betrayal.
The exiles were being asked to turn sacred memory into amusement for their enemies. Their captors wanted mirth from the people they had devastated. That kind of mockery deepened the wound.
There is a spiritual lesson here. The holy things of God must not be treated as entertainment for the world. Worship is not performance. Sacred songs are not spiritual decorations for those who despise the LORD. The songs of Zion belong to the people of God in the worship of God.
2. Psalm 137:4 through Psalm 137:6, A Vow to Remember Jerusalem, Even in Exile
Psalm 137:4, “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?”
The exiles answer with a question. “How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?” This is not a denial that God can be worshiped outside Jerusalem. Daniel prayed in Babylon. Ezekiel prophesied among the exiles. Faith did not cease in foreign lands. But this specific demand was different. Babylon wanted the songs of Zion for mockery and amusement.
The exiles could not sing the LORD’s song that way. The song was not in them under those conditions. They could not pretend joy while Jerusalem lay in ruins. They could not turn covenant worship into entertainment for the ones who had destroyed the temple.
There is also a deeper theological sorrow. They were in a “strange land.” They were outside the land of promise because of covenant judgment. Their exile was a visible testimony that sin had consequences.
Deuteronomy 28:63, “And it shall come to pass, that as LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off land whither thou goest to possess it.”
Deuteronomy 28:64, “And LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from one end of earth even unto other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.”
The exile had been warned long before. The strange land was not merely a political reality. It was covenant discipline.
Yet God had also promised that exile would not be the end if His people returned to Him.
Deuteronomy 30:1, “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, blessing and curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all nations, whither LORD thy God hath driven thee,”
Deuteronomy 30:2, “And shalt return unto LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all soul;”
Deuteronomy 30:3, “That then LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all nations, whither LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”
Psalm 137 is full of grief, but it is not covenant hopelessness. The very act of remembering Zion is an act of hope.
Psalm 137:5, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.”
The psalmist now makes a vow. He will not forget Jerusalem. If he does, he calls for his right hand to forget its skill. For a musician, the right hand was necessary for playing the harp. The meaning is severe. If I forget Jerusalem, let me lose the ability to play.
This shows that memory is a moral duty. Forgetting Jerusalem would not be innocent. It would mean forgetting God’s covenant purposes, God’s worship, God’s promises, God’s temple, and God’s chosen city.
Jerusalem mattered because God chose it.
Psalm 132:13, “For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.”
Psalm 132:14, “This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.”
To remember Jerusalem was to remember the LORD’s covenant purposes. The exile was not to make God’s people comfortable in Babylon. They were to seek the welfare of the city where they lived, but never let Babylon become Zion in their hearts.
Jeremiah 29:4, “Thus saith LORD of hosts, God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;”
Jeremiah 29:5, “Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat fruit of them;”
Jeremiah 29:6, “Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may increased there, and not diminished.”
Jeremiah 29:7, “And seek peace of city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto LORD for it: for in peace thereof shall ye have peace.”
The exiles were to live faithfully in Babylon, but they were not to forget Jerusalem. This is an important balance. God’s people may live responsibly in a fallen world without making the world their ultimate home.
Psalm 137:6, “If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.”
The vow intensifies. If the psalmist fails to remember Jerusalem, let his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth. If he forgets Jerusalem, let him lose the ability to sing. The right hand and the tongue are both placed under the vow because both are needed for music and praise.
The final phrase explains the heart of the vow, “if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” Jerusalem was to be exalted above his highest earthly joy. This does not mean the city itself was an idol. It means Jerusalem represented the LORD’s covenant presence, worship, promise, and kingdom purposes.
For the Christian, there is a parallel in the heavenly Jerusalem and the kingdom of God. Believers live in this world, but their highest citizenship and hope are above.
Galatians 4:26, “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is mother of us all.”
Hebrews 12:22, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto city of living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable company of angels,”
Hebrews 12:23, “To general assembly and church of firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God Judge of all, and to spirits of just men made perfect,”
Hebrews 12:24, “And to Jesus mediator of new covenant, and to blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
The believer must not become so comfortable in the world that he forgets the city of God. Psalm 137 teaches holy memory. God’s people must remember what God has promised and where true joy is found.
B. Singing About the Nations
1. Psalm 137:7, Remember Edom
Psalm 137:7, “Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to foundation thereof.”
The psalm now turns from mourning to judgment. The psalmist asks the LORD to remember Edom. In Scripture, for God to remember in judgment means for Him to take account and act righteously. Edom was guilty in the day of Jerusalem’s destruction.
The Edomites descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Therefore, they were a related people. They should have shown restraint, sorrow, or at least neutrality when Jerusalem fell. Instead, they rejoiced over Judah’s ruin and encouraged the destruction.
The psalm says they cried, “Rase it, rase it, even to foundation thereof.” They wanted Jerusalem leveled to the ground. They were not content with Judah’s defeat. They wanted total destruction.
The prophets condemn Edom for this same sin.
Obadiah 1:10, “For violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.”
Obadiah 1:11, “In day that thou stoodest on other side, in day that strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.”
Obadiah 1:12, “But thou shouldest not have looked on day of thy brother in day that he became stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over children of Judah in day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in day of distress.”
Obadiah 1:13, “Thou shouldest not have entered into gate of my people in day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in day of their calamity;”
Obadiah 1:14, “Neither shouldest thou have stood in crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in day of distress.”
Edom’s sin was not merely emotional dislike. They participated in Judah’s calamity. They stood by in hostility, rejoiced in destruction, helped plunder, and cut off escapees. Psalm 137 asks God to remember this.
Ezekiel also speaks against Edom.
Ezekiel 25:12, “Thus saith Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;”
Ezekiel 25:13, “Therefore thus saith Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by sword.”
The LORD saw Edom’s treachery. Psalm 137 brings the matter before God, not before private revenge. This is important. The psalmist does not say, I will take vengeance. He says, “Remember, O LORD.” Judgment is entrusted to God.
Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather place unto wrath: for it written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith Lord.”
The New Testament does not deny God’s justice. It commands believers not to seize personal vengeance. Psalm 137 is a prayer for divine justice, not a license for personal cruelty.
2. Psalm 137:8 and Psalm 137:9, Judge Babylon
Psalm 137:8, “O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.”
The psalmist now addresses Babylon. “O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed.” Babylon appeared powerful, wealthy, secure, and victorious. Yet the psalmist speaks of her destruction as certain. This confidence likely rests on prophetic revelation that Babylon herself would fall.
Isaiah 13:1, “The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah son of Amoz did see.”
Isaiah 13:19, “And Babylon, glory of kingdoms, beauty of Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Jeremiah also prophesied Babylon’s judgment.
Jeremiah 51:24, “And I will render unto Babylon and to all inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith LORD.”
Jeremiah 51:56, “Because spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and mighty men are taken, every one of bows is broken: for LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.”
Psalm 137:8 is therefore not merely emotional rage. It agrees with prophetic judgment. Babylon would be repaid as she had served Judah.
The verse says, “happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.” This is the principle of just recompense. Babylon had shown cruelty. Babylon would receive judgment. The language is severe because the crimes were severe.
Jeremiah 50:29, “Call together archers against Babylon: all ye that bend bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against LORD, against Holy One of Israel.”
God’s judgment on Babylon was not arbitrary. It was recompense according to her works.
Psalm 137:9, “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.”
This is one of the hardest verses in the Psalms. It is violent, shocking, and emotionally difficult. It must be handled honestly and carefully.
First, this verse reflects the horror the exiles had likely witnessed. Ancient warfare was brutal. Babylon had shown no mercy to Jerusalem. Children were killed. Families were destroyed. The psalmist is not inventing abstract cruelty. He is crying out from the memory of what had been done to his own people.
The fall of Jerusalem included horrific suffering.
Lamentations 5:11, “They ravished women in Zion, and maids in cities of Judah.”
Lamentations 5:12, “Princes are hanged up by their hand: faces of elders were not honoured.”
The violence of Babylon was real. Psalm 137:9 expresses a desire that Babylon receive what she had given.
Second, the verse is part of an imprecatory psalm, a psalm that calls for judgment. Imprecatory passages are not personal tantrums. At their best, they place justice in God’s hands and ask Him to deal with evil. They arise from a world where injustice, violence, and oppression are not theoretical.
Third, the verse may also echo prophetic judgment against Babylon.
Isaiah 13:16, “Their children also shall dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall spoiled, and their wives ravished.”
Isaiah had already prophesied such judgment upon Babylon. Psalm 137 aligns with the certainty that Babylon’s violence would return upon her own head.
Fourth, the Christian must read this verse through the full light of Scripture, including the teaching and example of Christ. Under the New Covenant, believers are commanded to love enemies, pray for persecutors, and leave vengeance to God.
Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted raiment, and cast lots.”
Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him. This does not mean God will never judge evil. It means Christ’s people are not called to personal vengeance. We may pray for justice, but we must also pray for repentance, mercy, and reconciliation where God grants it.
Fifth, the verse reminds us that sin is not harmless. Modern readers often recoil at judgment while tolerating the evil that makes judgment necessary. Babylon’s brutality, Edom’s treachery, Judah’s sin, and the destruction of Jerusalem all show that rebellion against God leads to horrors. Psalm 137 does not let us treat evil lightly.
Finally, the ultimate answer to the cries for justice is found in Christ. At the cross, God judged sin and provided mercy for sinners. Those who repent and believe are forgiven because Christ bore judgment in their place. Those who refuse God’s mercy will face righteous judgment.
Romans 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare righteousness for remission of sins that are past, through forbearance of God;”
Romans 3:26, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
God is both just and the justifier. Psalm 137 cries for justice. The gospel reveals how justice and mercy meet in Christ.
Doctrinal and Practical Summary
Psalm 137 teaches that exile was a real and devastating judgment. The people of Judah sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept because they remembered Zion, the temple, the city, and the covenant blessings they had lost.
The psalm teaches that grief has a place in worship. The people of God do not have to pretend joy when they are mourning. Their harps may hang on the willows for a season, yet even that silence can be brought before the LORD.
Psalm 137 teaches that the holy things of God must not be treated as entertainment for the world. The Babylonians wanted songs of Zion for amusement, but the exiles could not sing the LORD’s song that way in a strange land.
The psalm teaches the duty of holy memory. The psalmist vows not to forget Jerusalem. God’s people must not forget His promises, His worship, His covenant purposes, or their true home.
Psalm 137 also teaches that God sees the sins of nations. Edom’s treachery and Babylon’s cruelty were not forgotten. The LORD remembers and judges righteously.
The psalm’s imprecatory ending must be read with seriousness. It reflects the horror of Babylon’s violence and the principle of just recompense. Yet Christians must also read it in light of Christ, who commands His people to love enemies, pray for persecutors, and leave vengeance to God.
Finally, Psalm 137 reminds us that sin brings sorrow, judgment, exile, and death, but God’s covenant promises do not fail. The exiles wept in Babylon, but God would not forget Zion. He would judge Babylon, restore His people, and ultimately bring redemption through Jesus Christ.
