Bible Glide

Psalms 137

Psalms 137 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Psalm 137 gives voice to the sorrow of exile. It remembers Jerusalem from a foreign land, refuses empty praise, and asks God to notice the cruelty done to His people. The psalm joins deep grief with fierce loyalty to the city and the justice of the Lord.

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What happens in Psalms 137?

The psalm opens with the exiles sitting by Babylon's rivers, weeping as they remember Zion. Their captors mock them and demand songs, but they cannot sing the Lord's song in such a place. The speakers vow not to forget Jerusalem and call it their highest joy. The final lines turn into a prayer for God to remember Edom's actions when Jerusalem fell, followed by a severe cry against Babylon for its violence. The chapter holds together sorrow, memory, and a plea for divine justice.

Psalm 137 stands in Book Five of the Psalms, among songs that reflect on loss, return, and God's rule over the nations. It comes after praise for the Lord's enduring love and before later psalms of worship and trust. This chapter is tied to Israel's exile in Babylon and the fall of Jerusalem, giving words to national grief and unresolved pain.

Themes to notice

  • Exile and griefThe people mourn the loss of home and the holy city while living in a land of captivity.
  • Memory of ZionJerusalem remains central to faith, identity, and hope even far from home.
  • Justice and judgmentThe psalm asks God to remember the wrongs done by those who destroyed Jerusalem and oppressed His people.

Questions for Psalms 137

  • What does the psalm show about the emotional cost of exile?
  • Why is Jerusalem remembered with such intensity in this chapter?
  • How does the psalm express a desire for God to act against injustice?

Read the full text of Psalms 137 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Psalms 137

By the Rivers of Babylon

1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

2There on the willows

we hung our harps,

3for there our captors requested a song;

our tormentors demanded songs of joy:

“Sing us a song of Zion.”

4How can we sing a song of the LORD

in a foreign land?

5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

may my right hand cease to function.

6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not exalt Jerusalem

as my greatest joy!

7Remember, O LORD,

the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell:

“Destroy it,” they said,

“tear it down to its foundations!”

8O Daughter of Babylon,

doomed to destruction,

blessed is he who repays you

as you have done to us.

9Blessed is he who seizes your infants

and dashes them against the rocks.

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