EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Psalms 137:1
1When we sat down beside the rivers in Babylon, we were very upset. We thought about Zion city that we had left behind, and we wept.
Psalms 137:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
- New International Version (NIV)By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
- English Standard Version (ESV)By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
- New King James Version (NKJV)By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion.
Context of Psalms 137:1
When we sat down beside the rivers in Babylon, we were very upset. We thought about Zion city that we had left behind, and we wept. 2We hung up our harps there on the branches of the willow trees. 3Our enemies asked us to sing songs for them there. They laughed at us as their prisoners. They asked for a song to make them happy. They shouted, ‘Sing us a song about Zion!’
Read all of Psalms 137Psalms 137:1 word by word
עַ֥ל נַהֲר֨וֹת׀ בָּבֶ֗ל שָׁ֣ם יָ֭שַׁבְנוּ גַּם־בָּכִ֑ינוּ בְּ֝זָכְרֵ֗נוּ אֶת־צִיּֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 137:1
- Genesis 2:10A river began in Eden. It went through the garden and it gave water for the ground. After that, it became four separate rivers.
- Ezra 8:21We were all waiting by the Ahava river. I told the people not to eat any food, so that we could pray to God for help. We asked him to keep us safe on the journey, with our children and all our things.
- Ezekiel 1:1It was the 30th year. God spoke to me on the fifth day of the fourth month. I was among the prisoners from Judah at the side of the Kebar river. At that time the skies opened and I saw visions from God.
- Nehemiah 1:3They told me, ‘The Jews who returned to Judah are in much trouble. The walls of the city still have lots of holes in them. Fire has burned the city's gates down to the ground. So the people are very ashamed.’
- Nehemiah 2:3I replied to the king, ‘May the king live for ever! I am sad because enemies have destroyed the city where my ancestors are buried. They burned the city's gates.’
- Job 2:12When they could see Job from far away, they did not easily recognize him. They began to weep very loudly. They were so upset that they tore their clothes. They threw dust into the air and on their heads.
- Jeremiah 13:17If you refuse to listen to God's message, I will hide myself and I will weep. Because you are so proud, tears will pour from my eyes. I will cry because the Lord has sent his own people away as prisoners to a foreign land.
- Jeremiah 15:17When people were enjoying wild parties, I did not join with them. I sat alone, because you held me. You caused me to be angry with those people.
- Lamentations 2:10Zion's leaders sit on the ground and they are saying nothing. They have dressed themselves in sackcloth and they throw dirt on their own heads. They are showing everyone that they are very sad. The young women of Jerusalem can only look down to the ground, because they are very sad too.
- Ezekiel 3:15I came to Tel Abib near the Kedar river, where the Israelite prisoners lived. I stayed with them for seven days. I was very upset as I sat among them.
- Psalms 42:4When I remember how my life was before, I am very upset and I weep. Once I walked with a big crowd of people to worship God in his temple. I led the people there as we sang happy songs, and we praised God with loud voices.
- Psalms 102:9Because you are so angry with me, I eat ashes as my food. My tears drop into the water that I drink. It seems that you have picked me up, and then you have thrown me away.
- Isaiah 66:10All you people who love Jerusalem, join together with its people and be happy. You have been sad to see what has happened to the city, but now you should shout with joy!
- Jeremiah 51:50You Israelites who are still alive, leave Babylon now! Do not wait! You are far away from your homes. But remember that the Lord is with you. Think about Jerusalem.
- Lamentations 1:16We weep because of these things. Tears run down our faces because God is not with us. Nobody will help us. We are the children of this city and we have nothing now. The enemy has won.’
- Lamentations 2:11I have cried so much that my eyes are red now. Even the parts inside my body hurt, because my people are dying. I feel ill because I am so sad. The children and babies fall in the city's streets because they are so weak.
Commentaries on Psalms 137:1
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1By the rivers of Babylon - The streams, the water-courses, the rivulets. There was properly only one river flowing through Babylon - the Euphrates; but the city was watered, as Damascus now is, by means of canals or water-courses cut from the main river, and conveying the water to different parts of the city. For a description of Babylon, see the introductory notes to Isaiah 13. If the reference here is to Babylon proper, or the city, the allusion would…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The Jews bewail their captivity. (1-4) Their affection for Jerusalem. (5-9) Verses 1-4 Their enemies had carried the Jews captive from their own land. To complete their woes, they insulted over them; they required of them mirth and a song. This was very barbarous; also profane, for no songs would serve but the songs of Zion. Scoffers are not to be compiled with. They do not say, How shall we sing, when we are so much in sorrow? but, It is the Lord's song…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-9In 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).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-91. rivers of Babylon--the name of the city used for the whole country. remembered Zion--or, Jerusalem, as in Psa 132:13.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat when we went down into exile, and Nebuchadnezzar asked them to sing for him as they used to sing on the stage.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 137:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 137
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
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