What does Psalm 137:6 mean?
ESV: Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
NIV: May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
NASB: May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.
CSB: May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!
NLT: May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.
KJV: If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
NKJV: If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.
Verse Commentary:
In the earliest verses, this psalm depicted musicians setting aside their instruments out of deep grief (Psalm 137:1–2). The psalmist has vowed that he would rather lose the ability to play his music than to forget what has happened to Israel and the city of Jerusalem (Psalm 137:5). Here, that extends to speech and singing. Even if music was vital in this person's life, he is setting the welfare of Jerusalem above even that. Upcoming verses will express a bitter version of this emotion: asking the Lord to mirror Israelite suffering back on those who hurt them (Psalm 137:7–9).
Believers should think of God and His will as more important than any other aspect of life. The psalmist Asaph says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you" (Psalm 73:25). It is not wrong to feel joy when we overcome a struggle. Nor is it wrong to find joy in happy times and success. It is good to enjoy the presence of loving family and friends (John 15:12). Yet we are also warned not to prioritize things of this world over the Lord (1 John 2:15). Christians are citizens of heaven and their greatest joy should be tied to our eternity with God (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:10; 13–16).
Verse Context:
Psalm 137:1–6 mourns for Israel's captivity in Babylon, identified with the Euphrates river system. Israel's new masters tease them, asking for songs about the Jewish homeland. But the people cannot sing while in such misery. Instead, they set their instruments aside and vow to remember what has happened to their people.
Chapter Summary:
After being captured by Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21), the people of Israel are teased by their new masters. The Babylonians ask the Jews to perform songs from their homeland. But the Israelites cannot bring themselves to sing. They vow to remember what happened to their city and their people. The psalmist prays that God would bring harsh vengeance on Edom and Babylon. He hopes they suffer the same gruesome evils which they inflicted upon Israel.
Chapter Context:
After years of warning (Deuteronomy 28:1, 64), Israel was conquered and the people taken away into Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21). After seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10–14) they were allowed to rebuild Jerusalem (Ezra 2:1). This psalm expresses a grieving desire for enemies such as Babylon (Daniel 1:1–3) and Edom (Obadiah 1:10–11, 14) to suffer the same evils they committed on Israel. This is perhaps the most notorious of the "imprecatory" psalms (Psalms 5; 10; 17; 35; 58—59; 69—70; 79; 83, 109; 129; 137; 140).
Book Summary:
The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.
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