Overview

Psalm 137 stands as a powerful testament to the Israelites' profound grief during their exile in Babylon. It captures the visceral pain of being far from home and the vehement refusal to forget their beloved Jerusalem. The psalm is characterized by its emotional intensity, contrasting the sorrowful memories of Zion with the bitter resentment towards their captors. It ends with a controversial plea for retribution, highlighting the complexities of human emotion in the face of profound loss and the natural, albeit difficult, desire for justice. This psalm serves not only as a historical record of Israel's exile but also as a reflection on the universal experience of suffering and the quest for restoration.

Psalm 137

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

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.

End of Psalm 137


1 Year Plan:  Nov 28 - Dan 7, Dan 8, Ps 136, Ps 137 [next day]

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