New International Version
Psalms 137:8
8Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to 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.
- 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!
- New Living Translation (NLT)O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.
Context of Psalms 137:8
6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 7Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 9Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
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 47:1“Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate.
- Jeremiah 50:41“Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth.
- Jeremiah 52:33So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.
- Zechariah 2:7“Come, Zion! Escape, you who live in Daughter Babylon!”
- Isaiah 13:1A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
- Isaiah 14:4you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!
- Isaiah 21:1A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
- Jeremiah 25:12“But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever.
- Jeremiah 50:1This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians:
- Jeremiah 51:1This is what the Lord says: “See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai.
- Revelation 14:8A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
- Revelation 17:1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters.
- Revelation 18:6Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
- Psalms 149:6May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,
- Isaiah 13:3I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph.
- Isaiah 44:28who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations 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
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