Psalm 137 (WK) - 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 heads.
¹¹The name of the one [is] Pison, that which compasseth all the land of Havilah, where the gold [is],
¹²and the gold of that land is good; there [is] the bdellium and the onyx stone .
¹³And the name of the second river [is] Gihon, that which encompasseth all the land of Cush.
¹⁴And the name of the third [is] Hiddekel, that which goeth forth before Assyria. And the fourth river [is] Euphrates. (Gen. 2:10‑14)

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Ezra 8:21,31• ²¹I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
³¹{i}And 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.{/i} (Ezra 8:21,31)

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Ezek. 1:1• ¹{i}Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth of the month, as I was{/i} 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• ³{i}And 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.{/i}
⁴{i}And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that{/i} I sat down, and mourned certain days and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. (Neh. 1:3‑4)

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

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Job 2:12‑13• ¹²And they lifted up their eyes from afar, and knew him not; and they lifted up their voice and wept; and they rent each one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
¹³And they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him; for they saw that the pain was very great. (Job 2:12‑13)

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Jer. 13:17‑18• ¹⁷But 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 carried away captive.
¹⁸Say unto the king and unto the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory. (Jer. 13:17‑18)

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

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

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Ezek. 3:15• ¹⁵{i}And 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.{/i} (Ezek. 3:15)

we wept.

Psa. 42:4• ⁴These things do I remember, and I pour out my soul within me;{HR}When I pass through the crowd, I go softly with them{HR}Unto the house of God with the voice of singing and praise,{HR}A multitude keeping a feast. (Psa. 42:4)

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Psa. 102:9‑14• ⁹For I have eaten ashes like bread,{HR}And mingled my drink with weeping,
¹⁰Because of thine indignation and thy wrath;{HR}For thou hast lifted me up and cast me down.
¹¹My days [are] as a shadow stretched out,{HR}And for me, I am withered as grass.
¹²But {i}thou,{/i} Jehovah, forever abidest,{HR}And thy memorial from generation to generation.
¹³{i}Thou{/i} wilt arise, thou wilt compassionate Zion,{HR}For [it is] time to be gracious to her,{HR}For the set time is come.
¹⁴For thy servants take pleasure in her stones{HR}And are gracious to her dust. (Psa. 102:9‑14)

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Isa. 66:10• ¹⁰Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with 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 away, stand not still, remember Jehovah afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
⁵¹We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: 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,{HR}Because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me:{HR}My children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. (Lam. 1:16)

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Lam. 2:11,18• ¹¹Mine eyes do fill with tears, my bowels are troubled,{HR}My liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people;{HR}Because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
¹⁸Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion,{HR}Let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest;{HR}Let not the apple of thine eye cease. (Lam. 2:11,18)

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Lam. 3:48,51• ⁴⁸Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
⁵¹Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. (Lam. 3:48,51)

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Dan. 9:3• ³{i}And I set my face unto{/i} 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• ²{i}In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks:{/i}
³{i}I ate no pleasant bread{/i}, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. (Dan. 10:2‑3)

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

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Rev. 11:3• ³And I will give {i}efficacy{/i} to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred {i}and{/i} sixty days, clothed with sackcloth. (Rev. 11:3)

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

• 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)

• 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. (“Psalm 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. (“Psalm 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. (“Psalm 137” by H. Smith)

• 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)

J. N. Darby Translation

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

W. Kelly Translation

By rivers of Babylon, there we sat;{HR}Also we wept when we remembered Zion.