Psalm 137: Grief in Exile and a Prayer for Justice

137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sit down and weep when we remember Zion. 137:2 On the poplars in her midst we hang our harps, 137:3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: “Sing for us a song about Zion!” 137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord in a foreign land? 137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be crippled! 137:6 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. 137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, right to its very foundation!” 137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who repays you for what you dished out to us! 137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies and smashes them on a rock! Psalm 138 By David.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 137 gives voice to the sorrow of Judah in exile. The people weep for Zion, refuse to turn holy songs into entertainment for their captors, vow not to forget Jerusalem, and call on the Lord to remember the wrongs done by Edom and Babylon.

This psalm comes from the time after Jerusalem fell and Judah was carried away into exile. The exiles sit by the rivers of Babylon and mourn for Zion. They hang up their harps because their songs of worship cannot be turned into a joke for hostile people.

The psalm then speaks with strong loyalty to Jerusalem. The speaker makes a solemn oath that he will not forget the holy city. He says that Jerusalem must remain higher in his heart than personal joy.

Next, the psalm turns to prayer for justice. It asks the Lord to remember what Edom did when Jerusalem was destroyed. It also speaks against Babylon, the power that crushed Judah. The closing words are severe and hard to hear. They are not a command for personal violence. They are a cry for God to judge evil justly.

• Exile brought real grief, and God’s people honestly lamented it.
• Holy songs were not to be used as forced amusement for oppressors.
• Jerusalem still mattered to the exiles, and they vowed not to forget it.
• The psalm asks the Lord to remember the betrayal of Edom and the violence of Babylon.
• The closing curse is a plea for divine justice, not permission for personal revenge.

• Warning: Do not turn worship into entertainment for hostile powers.
• Command: Remember Jerusalem and give it priority in your heart.
• Warning: Do not read the final verses as a model for violence.
• Promise/hope: The Lord remembers wrongs and will judge evil.

Psalm 137 belongs to the exile, when Judah suffered covenant judgment after disobedience. Yet even in judgment, Zion, Jerusalem, and the Lord’s song still matter. The psalm also shows that God has not forgotten violence done by Babylon or betrayal by Edom. It fits the Bible’s larger movement from exile toward restoration and final justice under God.

Believers may bring grief, shame, and anger to God in prayer. They should not cheapen worship or forget what God has made holy. They must also leave vengeance to the Lord and not use this psalm to defend personal retaliation.

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