What does Psalm 137:8 mean?
ESV: O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
NIV: Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.
NASB: Daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, Blessed will be one who repays you With the retribution with which you have repaid us.
CSB: Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who pays you back what you have done to us.
NLT: O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.
KJV: O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
NKJV: O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
Verse Commentary:
The psalmist is calling on the Lord to bring vengeance on those who destroyed Jerusalem (Psalm 137:7). The Edomites apparently helped Babylon capture Jews and desolate the city (Obadiah 1:10–14). For this, the writer has prayed for justice. Other Scriptures noted the idea of Edom suffering the very things they inflicted on Israel (Obadiah 1:15, 18). Here, the same idea is applied to Babylon.
When Jerusalem fell to Babylonian invaders, the carnage was horrific (2 Chronicles 36:17–21; 2 Kings 25:5–7). Among the atrocities was the vicious murder of innocents, including children. This was common in ancient warfare (2 Kings 8:12; Isaiah 13:16; Hosea 10:14). As the psalmist vows to remember what has happened (Psalm 137:6), he prays for Babylon to experience these exact same harms (Psalm 137:9). This is a bitter, vengeful prayer; yet it corresponds to the Lord's predictions about what would happen to the nation that abused Israel (Jeremiah 25:12; Isaiah 47:1–3; 50—51).
Verse Context:
Psalm 137:7–9 contains a bitter, intense prayer for vengeance. When Israel was captured by Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21) they were subject to horrific slaughter. This included violence against even children (2 Kings 8:12; Isaiah 13:16; Hosea 10:14). Rather than giving shelter, the Edomites apparently helped Babylon capture fleeing Jews (Obadiah 1:10–11, 14). The psalmist's wish is for Babylon to experience the same horrors, including the gruesome murder of their infants.
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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