Psalms 137:6

Psalms 137:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
• New International Version (NIV)May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
• New King James Version (NKJV)If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Context of Psalms 137:6

4How can we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land? 5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. 7Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it To its very foundation.” 8O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, How blessed will be the one who repays you With the recompense with which you have repaid us.

Psalms 137:6 word by word

תִּדְבַּ֥ק־לְשׁוֹנִ֨י׀ לְחִכִּי֮ אִם־לֹ֪א אֶ֫זְכְּרֵ֥כִי אִם־לֹ֣א אַ֭עֲלֶה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֑ם עַ֝֗ל רֹ֣אשׁ שִׂמְחָתִֽי׃Read the interlinear

• tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956
• clingדָּבַקdâbaq · to cleaveH1692
• to the roofחֵךְchêk · palateH2441
• Ifאִם'im · ifH518
• I do not rememberזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
• exaltעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
• Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• Aboveעַל‛al · uponH5921
• my chiefרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
• joyשִׂמְחָהώimchâh · joyH8057

Cross-references for Psalms 137:6

• Psalms 22:15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death.
• Isaiah 41:17“The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.
• Lamentations 4:4The tongue of the infant cleaves To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.
• Ezekiel 3:26Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house.
• Psalms 84:10For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
• Matthew 6:33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
• Acts 20:24But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
• Philippians 1:20according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
• 1 Thessalonians 3:7for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith;

Commentaries on Psalms 137:6

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6If I do not remember thee - Equivalent to, “If I forget thee.” If I ever fail to remember thee; if I shall ever act as if I had forgotten thee. Singing in a strange land, among those who had perpetrated such wrongs in thee - appearing to be happy, cheerful, joyous, happy, merry there - would be understood to imply that I had ceased to remember thee, and cared nothing for thee. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth - Compare Ezekiel 3:26. Let me be…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. 5-6The psalmist pledges his loyalty to Jerusalem, the city at the center of God’s reign and the location of fellowship with him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. For joyful songs would imply forgetfulness of their desolated homes and fallen Church. The solemn imprecations on the hand and tongue, if thus forgetful, relate to the cunning or skill in playing, and the power of singing.Read the comment
• Rashi on Tanakh · v. 6If I do not bring up Jerusalem The remembrance of the mourning of its destruction I shall bring up to mention at the head of every joyous occasion of mine.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 137:6

• Church
• Country
• Jerusalem
• Music
• Patriotism

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Cleave
• Cunning
• Music
• Prefer
• Roof
• Willows
• Haggai
• Mouth
• Psalms, Book of

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