Psalms 137
137
PSALM 137
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
1By Babel's streams we sat and wept,
when Sion we thought on.
2In midst thereof we hang'd our harps
the willow-trees upon.
3For there a song required they,
who did us captive bring:
Our spoilers call'd for mirth, and said,
A song of Sion sing.
4O how the Lord's song shall we sing
within a foreign land?
5If thee, Jerus'lem, I forget,
skill part from my right hand.
6My tongue to my mouth's roof let cleave,
if I do thee forget,
Jerusalem, and thee above
my chief joy do not set.
7Remember Edom's children, Lord,
who in Jerus'lems day,
Ev'n unto its foundation,
Raze, raze it quite, did say.
8O daughter thou of Babylon,
near to destruction;
Bless'd shall he be that thee rewards,
as thou to us hast done.
9Yea, happy surely shall he be
thy tender little ones
Who shall lay hold upon,
and them shall dash against the stones.
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Psalms 137: MP1650
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Psalms 137
137
Psalm 137#sn Psalm 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem, and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.
1 By the rivers of Babylon
we sit down and weep#tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”
when we remember Zion.
2 On the poplars in her midst
we hang our harps,
3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs;#tn Heb “ask us [for] the words of a song.”
those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying:#tn Heb “our [?] joy.” The derivation and meaning of the Hebrew phrase תוֹלָלֵינוּ (tolalenu, “our [?]”) are uncertain. A derivation from תָּלַל (talal, “to mock”) fits contextually, but this root occurs only in the Hiphil stem. For a discussion of various proposals, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 236.
“Sing for us a song about Zion!”#tn Heb “from a song of Zion.” Most modern translations read, “one of the songs of Zion,” taking the preposition מִן (min, “from”) as partitive and “song” as collective. The present translation assumes the mem (ם) is enclitic, being misunderstood later as the prefixed preposition.
4 How can we sing a song to the Lord
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand be crippled!#tn Heb “may my right hand forget.” In this case one must supply an object, such as “how to move.” The elliptical nature of the text has prompted emendations (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 236). The translation assumes an emendation to תִּכְשַׁח (tikhshakh), from an otherwise unattested root כשׁח, meaning “to be crippled; to be lame.” See HALOT 502 s.v. כשׁח, which cites Arabic cognate evidence in support of the proposal. The corruption of the MT can be explained as an error of transposition facilitated by the use of שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”) just before this.
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
and do not give Jerusalem priority
over whatever gives me the most joy.#tn Heb “if I do not lift up Jerusalem over the top of my joy.”
7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.#tn Heb “remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem.”
They said, “Tear it down, tear it down,#tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”
right to its very foundation!”
8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated!#tn Heb “O devastated daughter of Babylon.” The psalmist dramatically anticipates Babylon’s demise.
How blessed will be the one who repays you
for what you dished out to us!#tn Heb “O the happiness of the one who repays you your wage which you paid to us.”
9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies
and smashes them on a rock!#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.
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