English Standard Version
Psalms 137:9
9Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
Psalms 137:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
- New International Version (NIV)Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock!
- New Living Translation (NLT)Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!
Context of Psalms 137:9
7Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!" 8O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
Read all of Psalms 137Psalms 137:9 word by word
אַשְׁרֵ֤י׀ שֶׁיֹּאחֵ֓ז וְנִפֵּ֬ץ אֶֽת־עֹ֝לָלַ֗יִךְ אֶל־הַסָּֽלַע׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 137:9
- Isaiah 13:16Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.
- Hosea 10:14therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
- Hosea 13:16Samaria shall bear her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword; their little ones shall be dashed in pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
Commentaries on Psalms 137:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Happy shall he be that taketh - Margin, as in Hebrew, rock. This refers to what was not uncommon in ancient warfare, as it is now among savage tribes - the indiscriminate slaughter of those of all ages, and of both sexes, in war. It was expressly foretold of Babylon that this would occur (see Isaiah 13:16, and the notes at that place), and there may be a reference here to that prediction, and the psalmist may mean to say that the man would be accounted…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-9Verses 5-9 What we love, we love to think of. Those that rejoice in God, for his sake make Jerusalem their joy. They stedfastly resolved to keep up this affection. When suffering, we should recollect with godly sorrow our forfeited mercies, and our sins by which we lost them. If temporal advantages ever render a profession, the worst calamity has befallen him. Far be it from us to avenge ourselves; we will leave it to Him who has said, Vengeance is mine…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-9The 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.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-97-9. Remember ... the children of Edom--(Compare Psa 132:1), that is, to punish. the day of Jerusalem--its downfall (La 4:21, 22; Ob 11-13).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 137:9
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries