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Psalm Ps. 137. This community lament remembers the Babylonian captivity. It provides words by which the returned exiles can express their loyalty to Jerusalem and pray that God would punish those who gloat over its destruction. This psalm is notable for the intensity of its final wish (v. 9). It is a prayer that the Babylonians, who had smashed Israelite infants, should be punished appropriately.
Ps. 137:1–3 The opening section recalls the captivity by the waters of Babylon (the Euphrates River), where the Babylonian captors had required of us songs. The songs of Zion would be sacred songs (such as the psalms). Apparently the captors wanted the Judeans to sing them for entertainment rather than for worship.
Ps. 137:4–6 To a faithful Judean, the request of v. 3 would be like asking him to forget . . . Jerusalem, which would be an act of treachery against God, his covenant, and his people. His prayer is that if he should consent to such disloyalty, the very right hand that would play the lyre would instead forget its skill, and the tongue that might sing would instead stick to the roof of my mouth.
Ps. 137:7–9 The recollection of these hurtful taunts leads to a prayer that God will remember the deeds of his people’s enemies. These are represented here by the Edomites and the daughter of Babylon. The Edomites took great delight in destroying Jerusalem completely. The Babylonians had been excessively violent against the helpless in Jerusalem.
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