Psalm , Sarah Barry
HOW CAN WE SING THE LORD'S SONG?
Passage: Psalm 137:1~9  
Key verse: 4
Psalm 1371 By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
when we remembered Zion.(C)
2 There on the poplars(D)
we hung our harps,(E)
3 for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
my highest joy.
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them(R) against the rocks.
1 By the rivers of Babylon(A) we sat and wept(B)
when we remembered Zion.(C)
2 There on the poplars(D)
we hung our harps,(E)
3 for there our captors(F) asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded(G) songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”(H)
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord(I)
while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you,(J) Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof(K) of my mouth
if I do not remember(L) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem(M)
my highest joy.
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites(N) did
on the day Jerusalem fell.(O)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”(P)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,(Q)
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them(R) against the rocks.
Cross references
- Psalm 137:1 : Eze 1:1, 3; 3:15; 10:15
- Psalm 137:1 : Ne 1:4
- Psalm 137:1 : Isa 3:26; La 1:4
- Psalm 137:2 : S Lev 23:40
- Psalm 137:2 : Job 30:31; Isa 24:8; Eze 26:13; Am 6:5
- Psalm 137:3 : Ps 79:1-4; La 1:5
- Psalm 137:3 : S Job 30:9; Ps 80:6
- Psalm 137:3 : Eze 16:57; 22:4; 34:29
- Psalm 137:4 : S Ne 12:46
- Psalm 137:5 : Isa 2:3; 56:7; 65:11; 66:20
- Psalm 137:6 : S Ps 22:15
- Psalm 137:6 : Ne 2:3
- Psalm 137:6 : S Dt 4:29; Jer 51:50; Eze 6:9
- Psalm 137:7 : S Ge 25:30; S 2Ch 28:17; S Ps 83:6; La 4:21-22
- Psalm 137:7 : 2Ki 25:1-10; Ob 1:11
- Psalm 137:7 : Ps 74:8
- Psalm 137:8 : Isa 13:1, 19; 47:1-15; Jer 25:12, 26; 50:1; 50:2-51:58
- Psalm 137:9 : S 2Ki 8:12; S Isa 13:16; Lk 19:44
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. We remember Zion (1-4)
The Jews were carried off to Babylon to live there in exile for 70 years. This was God's discipline for their unfaithfulness. It was a sorrowful time. They knew they had sinned; they longed for home. Their Babylonian captors were superficial, proud and bent on pleasure-seeking. They enjoyed listening to the singing of the Israelite captives. But the exiles had no song in their hearts, for they were far from home and God seemed far away. Their highest joy was remembering Jerusalem and the temple in its glory.
2. Remember, O Lord (5-9)
They could not sing; they could not retaliate; but they could pray. Their prayer sounds bitter and cruel--and indeed it was. It was very different from Jesus' prayer from the cross, 'Father, forgive them...' But it was real--they laid their feelings before God. Their hope was in God alone.
Prayer: Lord, cleanse me of sin and rule my heart so that I can sing your songs during my earthly pilgrimage.
One Word: Sing the Lord's song