Psalm 137
Theme
Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land
Outline
1-6, The Constancy of the Jews in Captivity 7-9, A prayer Against Enemies
Key Verse
(137:1) By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. (137:9) Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock!
Notes
The opening and closing sections of Ps 137 mention Babylon: verses 1–2 speak of God’s people weeping in exile there, and verses 8–9 twice bless the one who will execute the warning issued in Ps 2:9 in fulfillment of Gen 3:15. The second and second-to-last sections of the psalm recount the taunts of the enemies: the Babylonians asking for Zion songs in verses 3–4 and the Edomites cheering on the destruction of Jerusalem in verse 7. At the center of the psalm stands a promise not to forget Jerusalem (because it is the capital city of God’s kingdom, from which his purposes will be accomplished) in verses 5–6.