Psalms 137:1

Psalm 137 ¹ 

137:1 By the rivers of Babylon

we sit down and weep ² 

when we remember Zion.

Psalms 137:8-9

137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! ³ 

How blessed will be the one who repays you

for what you dished out to us! ⁴ 

137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies

and smashes them on a rock! ⁵ 

[137:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem, and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.

[137:1]  ² tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”

[137:8]  ³ tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.

[137:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”

[137:9]  ⁵ sn For other references to the wholesale slaughter of babies in the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare, see 2 Kgs 8:12; Isa 13:16; Hos 13:16; Nah 3:10.