시편 Chapter 137

Translation: ESV

1

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.

Key Message

The deep sorrow of those who have lost their home and the faith that lives in memory are the essence of faith in exile.

▸This is the most moving and sorrowful psalm of the Babylonian exile period.

This is the most moving and sorrowful psalm of the Babylonian exile period. The grief of one who has lost their homeland, the lament of the stranger, pours forth from the very first verse. 'Sat down and wept' is the posture of mourning, and 'remembering' Zion is the longing for a lost home.

Related Verses

Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place.
4

How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?

Key Message

The songs of faith cannot be instruments of mockery or entertainment; preserving the holiness of faith is maintaining identity.

▸When the enemies demand that they sing songs of Zion, the captives refuse, saying they cannot sing the LORD's song in a foreign land.

5

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!

Key Message

The pledge not to forget the roots of the faith community (Jerusalem, Zion) becomes the strength to maintain identity within a foreign culture.

▸This is a vow that if Jerusalem is forgotten, the right hand (the hand that plays the harp) would lose its skill.