God’s Word Translation
Psalms 137:8
8You destructive people of Babylon, blessed is the one who pays you back with the same treatment you gave us.
Psalms 137:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
- New International Version (NIV)Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.
- English Standard Version (ESV)O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
- New King James Version (NKJV)O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
Context of Psalms 137:8
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don’t remember you, if I don’t consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 7O Lord, remember the people of Edom. Remember what they did the day Jerusalem ⌞was captured⌟. They said, “Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundation.” You destructive people of Babylon, blessed is the one who pays you back with the same treatment you gave us. 9Blessed is the one who grabs your little children and smashes them against a rock.
Read all of Psalms 137Psalms 137:8 word by word
בַּת־בָּבֶ֗ל הַשְּׁד֫וּדָ֥ה אַשְׁרֵ֥י שֶׁיְשַׁלֶּם־לָ֑ךְ אֶת־גְּ֝מוּלֵ֗ךְ שֶׁגָּמַ֥לְתְּ לָֽנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- O daughterבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- of Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- who art to be destroyedשָׁדַדshâdad · to ruinH7703
- happyאֶ֫שֶׁר'esher · blessedH835
- that rewardethשָׁלֵםshâlam · to completeH7999
- thee as thou hast servedגְּמוּלgemûl · recompenseH1576
- thee as thou hast servedגָּמַלgâmal · to weanH1580
Cross-references for Psalms 137:8
- Isaiah 47:1Go, sit in the dirt, virgin princess of Babylon! Sit on the ground, not on a throne, princess of the Babylonians! You will no longer be called soft and delicate.
- Jeremiah 50:41“People are going to come from the north. A great nation and many kings will rise from the ends of the earth.
- Jeremiah 52:33Jehoiakin no longer wore prison clothes, and he ate his meals in the king’s presence as long as he lived.
- Zechariah 2:7Hurry, Zion! Escape, you inhabitants of Babylon!
- Isaiah 13:1This is the divine revelation which Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw about Babylon.
- Isaiah 14:4Then you will mock the king of Babylon with this saying, “How the tyrant has come to an end! How his attacks have come to an end!”
- Isaiah 21:1This is the divine revelation about the desert by the sea. Like a storm sweeping through the Negev, an invader will come from the desert, from a terrifying land.
- Jeremiah 25:12“When the 70 years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation for their crimes, declares the Lord. I will turn Babylon into a permanent wasteland.
- Jeremiah 50:1This is the message that the Lord spoke about Babylon and the land of the Babylonians through the prophet Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 51:1This is what the Lord says: I will stir up a destructive wind against Babylon and against the people who live in Leb Kamai.
- Revelation 14:8Another angel, a second one, followed him, and said, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has made all the nations drink the wine of her passionate sexual sins.”
- Revelation 17:1One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of that notorious prostitute who sits on raging waters.
- Revelation 18:6Do to her what she has done. Give her twice as much as she gave. Serve her a drink in her own cup twice as large as the drink she served others.
- Psalms 149:6Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands
- Isaiah 13:3I’ve commanded my holy ones. I’ve called my mighty men to carry out my anger. They find joy in my triumphs.
- Isaiah 44:28He says about Cyrus, “He is my shepherd. He will do everything I want him to do.” He says about Jerusalem, “It will be rebuilt.” He says about the temple, “Your foundation will be laid.”
Commentaries on Psalms 137:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8O daughter of Babylon - That is, Babylon itself; the city of Babylon. On the word “daughter” as thus used, see the notes at Isaiah 1:8. Who art to be destroyed - Certainly to be destroyed; of whose destruction there are fixed and absolute prophecies. See the notes at Isaiah 13:19-22. Happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us - Margin, that recompenseth unto thee thy deed which thou didst to us. Literally, “Happy shall he be who shall…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 137:8
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries