A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.
The Bible · 615 of 1189
Psalms 137
1.By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2.We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3.For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4.How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?
5.If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6.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.
7.Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8.O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9.Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Asked of Guide
Why does the psalmist wish violent revenge on Babylon and Edom in verses 7–9?
The psalmist responds to real atrocity: verses 1–4 show exiles mocked and forced to sing “the songs of Zion,” and verse 7 recalls Edom cheering Jerusalem’s destruction with “Rase it, rase it.” The revenge language in 8–9 expresses a demand for justice that matches the severity of the crime and protects communal memory and honor.
This intensity follows a biblical pattern where lament and petition for God’s intervention include curses, as in some of the imprecatory psalms and in Jeremiah’s denunciations of Babylon. The chapter frames these wishes as an appeal to the LORD’s retribution on behalf of the suffering community rather than a calm legal judgment.
Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.