Psalm 137

Psa 137:1

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: (a) Sennacherib carried 200,000 captives from Judea: cp Mic 4:10; (b) Edom was active in the Assyrian invasions: Isa 34; 63:1-6; Joe 3:19; Oba.

BABYLON = (prob) Assyria: (1) spoke virtually same language; (2) cp Isa 13;14 with Isa 14:25; (3) Isa 13:8 = Psa 48:5,6; (4) Isa 13 has 4 refs to Joel, which is about Assyria, not Babylon; (5) Mic 4:10 mentions Babylon but is about Assyria: 'Now!", not 100+ years from now; and (6) 2Ch 33:11 has king of Assyria carrying Manasseh captive to Babylon...

And Assyria = BABYLON: (1) Amo 5:2 -- cp Act 7:43; (2) 2Ki 23:29; (3) Ezr 6:22; (4) Lam 5:6; Zec 10:10,11. Edom (v 7) renders assistance to Assyria in their invasions of the Promised Land (2Ch 28:17; Isa 34:6; 63:1-6; Oba 1:15-19).

Vv 1-3: These captives, carried by Assyrian army away to Babylon, were to return QUICKLY: Isa 27:6,12,13; 35:10; 37:30,31; 42:6,7; 48:20,21; 49:17-26; cp Psa 70:11; 85:1,11; 136:22-25; etc. (LD) Israel overthrown; her enemies rejoice over her (Eze 35:10,12; 36:2; Psa 79:10; Rev 11:10).

BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON: Jewish custom to pray near running water, for purification purposes? See Eze 1:1; Dan 8:2; 10:4; Act 16:13. The land of Babylon, interlaced with numerous canals, rivers (cp Rev 17:1,5,15).

WE SAT: Posture of distress (Job 2:13; Lam 2:10; 3:28; Jer 6:26; Mic 1:10).

WEPT: Jer 9:1,18; Lam 2:11,18; 3:48; etc.

Vv 1-3 (LD): The scorn of those who have long wished to see the state of Israel overthrown. At last their holy war has achieved triumph (Eze 35:10,12; 36:2; Psa 79:10; Rev 11:10). All this is to be followed by a marked contrast when the Jews, now a true "Israel" (Prince with God), will rejoice in mount Zion for ever -- and then, in an outpouring of joy, the harps will play again (Rev 14:2)!

Psa 137:3

SONGS OF ZION: Temple hymns (v 4: songs of the Lord). This proud mockery expresses the deep religious motive behind this invasion of Judah. It was seen as a contest between the "gods" of Assyria and Israel's God. The Greek historian Strabo says that, some three or four centuries later, Hebrew singing girls were known to be the best in the world

Psa 137:4

At one time, had Assyrian demanded the temple choir and orchestra as hostages (Taylor Prism)? The earlier equally shameful episode in Ahaz's reign, when part of the temple was handed over to an Assyrian garrison (cp Psa 79:1; 74:6,7; 2Ch 28:21), had left in some Assyrian minds a strong and envious memory of the splendor of the temple service.

Psa 137:5

MAY MY RIGHT HAND FORGET ITS SKILL: Note the italics in AV. Instead, read: "... let my right hand forget ME". Or, as the RSV, by an emendation: "let my right hand wither". Cp the idea of Psa 76:5.

Psa 137:6

JERUSALEM MY HIGHEST JOY: Difficult to imagine such language if Jerusalem lay in ruins, but more appropriate to the Jerusalem of Hezekiah's day.

Psa 137:7

The Edomite hatred of Israel persisted through the ages, from Esau on (Gen 27:41). But v 7 (AV) does NOT say "WHEN Jerusalem fell", but simply "in the day of Jerusalem": "Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem" -- ie, of Jerusalem's distress (when she was IN DANGER of falling).

Psa 137:8

DOOMED TO DESTRUCTION: The fate of Nineveh (100 years later, at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar). But never the fate of Babylon!

HAPPY IS HE WHO REPAYS YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO US: "And they [Jacob and Israel] shall take them [Babylon/Assyria] captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors... I will break the Assyrian in the land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders" (Isa 14:2,25).

Psa 137:9

The cruelties of war: 2Ki 8:12; 15:16; Hos 10:14; 13:16; Amo 1:13. (LD) The "children" of Islam dash themselves, in vain, against the "Rock" of Israel!

This verse links directly with Isa 13:16: "Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished"... and had its sequel in what Nah 3:10 also foretold against Nineveh: "Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets."

And so the bestial Assyrians -- and Edomites -- no doubt suffered the same atrocities which they had visited (or sought to visit) on the people of Israel. The God who, through Christ, destroyed a wicked "tree" would not shrink from destroying its soon-to-be wicked "fruit" (cp Mat 21:19)!