New International Version
Psalms 137:1
1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.
Context of Psalms 137:1
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of 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 watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.
- Ezra 8:21There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.
- Ezekiel 1:1In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
- Nehemiah 1:3They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
- Nehemiah 2:3but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
- Job 2:12When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.
- Jeremiah 13:17If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.
- Jeremiah 15:17I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation.
- Lamentations 2:10The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
- Ezekiel 3:15I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.
- Psalms 42:4These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
- Psalms 102:9For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears
- Isaiah 66:10“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.
- Jeremiah 51:50You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the Lord in a distant land, and call to mind Jerusalem.”
- Lamentations 1:16“This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”
- Lamentations 2:11My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within; my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.
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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