Psalm 137 (JND) - Bible Truth Library

Verse 2

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Psalm 137

Psa. 137:1 KJV (With Strong’s)

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

More on:

Babylon,

River,

Zion; Sion; Mount Zion

Cross References

Ministry on This Verse

1-6: The constancy of the Jews in captivity.

7-9: The prophet curses Edom and Babel.

A.M. cir. 3463.

B.C. cir. 541. (Title.)The author of this beautiful and affecting elegy is unknown, but the occasion is evident; and it was most probably composed during, or near the close of, the captivity.the rivers.

Gen. 2:10‑14• ¹⁰And a river went out of Eden, to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four main streams.
¹¹The name of the one is Pison: that is it which surrounds the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is.
¹²And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
¹³And the name of the second river is Gihon: that is it which surrounds the whole land of Cush.
¹⁴And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which flows forward toward Asshur. And the fourth river, that is Euphrates. (Gen. 2:10‑14)

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Ezra 8:21,31• ²¹And I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
³¹And we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month, to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. (Ezra 8:21,31)

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Ezek. 1:1• ¹Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (Ezek. 1:1)

there sat.

Neh. 1:3‑4• ³And they said to me, Those who remain, that are left of the captivity there in the province, are in great affliction and reproach; and the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire.
⁴And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of the heavens, (Neh. 1:3‑4)

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Neh. 2:3• ³And I said to the king, Let the king live for ever! Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lies waste, and its gates are consumed with fire? (Neh. 2:3)

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Job 2:12‑13• ¹²And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice and wept. And they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward the heavens.
¹³And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights; and none spoke a word to him; for they saw that his anguish was very great. (Job 2:12‑13)

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Jer. 13:17‑18• ¹⁷And if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because Jehovah's flock is gone into captivity.
¹⁸Say unto the king and to the queen: Humble yourselves, sit down low; for from your heads shall come down the crown of your magnificence. (Jer. 13:17‑18)

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Jer. 15:17• ¹⁷I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor exulted: I sat alone because of thy hand; for thou hast filled me with indignation. (Jer. 15:17)

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Lam. 2:10• ¹⁰The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, they keep silence; they have cast dust upon their heads, they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their head to the ground. (Lam. 2:10)

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Ezek. 3:15• ¹⁵And I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar, and I sat where they sat; and I sat there astonied among them seven days. (Ezek. 3:15)

we wept.

Psa. 42:4• ⁴These things I remember and have poured out my soul within me: how I passed along with the multitude, how I went on with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, a festive multitude. (Psa. 42:4)

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Psa. 102:9‑14• ⁹For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
¹⁰Because of thine indignation and thy wrath; for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
¹¹My days are like a lengthened-out shadow, and I, I am withered like grass.
¹²But thou, Jehovah, abidest for ever, and thy memorial from generation to generation.
¹³*Thou* wilt rise up, thou wilt have mercy upon Zion: for it is the time to be gracious to her, for the set time is come.
¹⁴For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour her dust. (Psa. 102:9‑14)

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Isa. 66:10• ¹⁰Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her: (Isa. 66:10)

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Jer. 51:50‑51• ⁵⁰Ye that have escaped the sword, go, stand not still: remember Jehovah from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
⁵¹--We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach; confusion hath covered our face: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of Jehovah's house. (Jer. 51:50‑51)

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Lam. 1:16• ¹⁶For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water: for the comforter that should revive my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, for the enemy hath prevailed. (Lam. 1:16)

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Lam. 2:11,18• ¹¹Mine eyes are consumed with tears, my bowels are troubled; my liver is poured upon the earth, because of the ruin of the daughter of my people; because infant and suckling swoon in the streets of the city.
¹⁸Their heart cried unto the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a torrent day and night: give thyself no respite; let not the apple of thine eye rest. (Lam. 2:11,18)

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Lam. 3:48,51• ⁴⁸Mine eye runneth down with streams of water for the ruin of the daughter of my people.
⁵¹Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city. (Lam. 3:48,51)

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Dan. 9:3• ³And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes; (Dan. 9:3)

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Dan. 10:2‑3• ²In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks:
³I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three full weeks were fulfilled. (Dan. 10:2‑3)

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Luke 19:41• ⁴¹And as he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, (Luke 19:41)

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Rev. 11:3• ³And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. (Rev. 11:3)

• Book 5, Series 4. Ten tribes restored. (““The Placement of the Psalms in Prophecy”” by B. Anstey)

• This psalm begins the final series of the book. The ten tribes of Israel are again seen away from their promised land (vs. 1, 4) being reproached by the Gentiles (vs. 1-3). (“Book 5.” by B. Anstey)

• Historically, the psalm sets forth the sorrows of Israel in captivity: prophetically, it expresses the sorrows of the godly in Israel in a latter day. (“Psalms 137” by H. Smith)

• (vv. 1-3) The psalm opens with the captives of Israel at Babylon in the day of its prosperity and earthly joy, as set forth by its rivers, its mirth, and its songs. (“Psalms 137” by H. Smith)

• They can only weep when they remember Zion. The glory and joy of Babylon are as nothing in their eyes compared with the blessedness of their own city. (“Psalms 137” by H. Smith)

• There is a double application of this to our souls. Nothing can make us forget the heavenly Jerusalem, the house where God and the Lamb are the temple, and where they dwell. All the glory of the world is nothing compared with that heavenly home. (“Practical Reflections on the Psalms: Psalms 135-138” by J.N. Darby)

J. N. Darby Translation

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.