Keraia
Psalm 137

Psalm 137:9

By the Rivers of Babylon · Psalm 137:1–9
Read Psalm 137

Translations

Modern
Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
Traditional
Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Literal
Blessed is he who seizes and dashes your infants against the rock!
Latin
Beatus qui tenebit, et allidet parvulos tuos ad petram.

Original

Hebrew
English
Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Notes

Psalms 137:7–9

  • The poet saw how the Edomites betrayed the people of Judah, so he calls on God to judge Edom. The long conflict between Edom and Judah reached its worst point near the end of Judah’s history. At that time, the Edomites handed the Judeans over to the Babylonians (Obadiah 1:10–11) and celebrated Jerusalem's fall.

  • This prayer asking God to bring justice uses strong language and can be shocking.

Psalms 137:1–9

In response to the pain of exile (Psalm 137:1–4), the psalmist decides to remember Jerusalem, even though the memories cause him pain (137:4–6). He also speaks a strong prayer asking God to bring justice on his enemies (Psalm 137:7–9).

Theme notes and profiles

Prayers for Vengeance Psalms of Suffering

Parallels

Ezekiel 1:1–3

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Imprecatory Psalms Music Psalms, Book of

Topics

Babylon: City of Prophecies Concerning Babylon: Empire of Prophetic Denunciations Against Child Abuse The Jews: None Hated or Oppressed, with Impunity Vindictiveness War: Evils of