EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Psalms 137:4
4But we are in a foreign land, so we cannot sing a song to the Lord.
Psalms 137:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
- New International Version (NIV)How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?
- English Standard Version (ESV)How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?
- New King James Version (NKJV)How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?
Context of Psalms 137:4
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!’ But we are in a foreign land, so we cannot sing a song to the Lord. 5Jerusalem, I never want to forget you. I would rather lose my right hand! 6I would rather my tongue could no longer move! Yes, I will always remember you, Jerusalem. You are the most important thing that I think about, more than anything else that makes me happy.
Read all of Psalms 137Psalms 137:4 word by word
אֵ֗יךְ נָשִׁ֥יר אֶת־שִׁיר־יְהוָ֑ה עַ֝֗ל אַדְמַ֥ת נֵכָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 137:4
- Ecclesiastes 3:4There is a time to weep. There is a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. There is a time to dance.
- Isaiah 22:12At that time, the Lord Almighty told you to be very sad and weep. He told you to cut all the hair off your heads and to wear rough clothes.
- Lamentations 5:14Our enemies no longer let our old men decide things. The old men cannot say what is right or fair for us. And the young men have stopped their music.
- Hosea 9:4They will not pour out wine as an offering to the Lord. Their sacrifices will not please him. Instead, their offerings will be like food that people eat at a funeral. Anyone who eats it becomes unclean. They may eat the food to feed themselves, but they cannot offer it to the Lord in his temple.
- Amos 8:3On the day that I come to punish them, people will not sing in the temple. Instead they will weep loudly. There will be dead bodies everywhere. Be quiet now!’ That is what the Lord God says.
- Isaiah 49:21Then you will think, “Who gave me all these children? Who is their father? I was alone, with no husband. They killed my children or they took them away to a foreign land. I could no longer give birth. So where did all these children come from?” ’
Commentaries on Psalms 137:4
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4How shall we sing the Lord‘s song - The song designed to celebrate his praise; that is, appropriate to the worship of Yahweh. In a strange land - Far from our home; far from the temple; exiles; captives: how can we find spirit in such circumstances to sing? How can we do that which would be indicative of what we do not feel, and cannot feel - joy and happiness! The idea is not that those psalms or songs would be profaned by being sung there, or that there…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4Because the music of Jerusalem was connected to the joy of life in the promised land, the exile took away any reason to sing joyful songs. The Babylonians asked the Judeans to sing and dance for them, but the people were so full of grief that they could not do it. The songs about the Lord celebrate his power and goodness, but his people were now filled with doubt and questions. They hung their harps in the trees, which may show that their joy had come to…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-43-4. Whether the request was in curiosity or derision, the answer intimates that a compliance was incongruous with their mournful feelings (Pr 25:20).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 137:4
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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