John Gill Commentary Psalms 137

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
If by Babylon is meant the country, then the rivers of it are Chebar, Ulai, Tigris, Euphrates, and others; see (Ezekiel 1:1) (Daniel 8:2) ; but if the city itself, then only Euphrates, which ran through it; and is expressed by rivers, because of the largeness of it, and because of the several canals cut out of it, for the service of the city; hence Babylon is said to dwell upon many waters, (Jeremiah 51:13) ; upon the banks whereof the captive Jews were; either through choice, where they could be alone, and mourn their fate, indulge their sorrows, and give vent to their grief; or by the order of these who carried them captive, there to be employed, either in taking goods from ships here unloaded, or to repair and maintain the banks of the rivers, or to do some servile work or another; see (Ezekiel 1:1) ; and where they would sometimes "sit down" pensive, as mourners used to do, and lament their case, (Job 2:8Job 2:13) .

Or this phrase may express their residence here, and the continuance and length of their captivity, which was seventy years: yea, Babylon itself may be meant by the waters of it; just as Thebes, in Pindar ^F23 is called the Dircaean waters, near to which it was;

yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion ;
they imitated the flowing stream by which they sat, and swelled it with their tears; they wept for their sins, which brought them thither; and it increased their sorrow, when they called to mind what privileges they had enjoyed in Zion, the city of their solemnities; where they had often seen the tribes of Israel bowing before and worshipping the God of Israel; the daily sacrifices and others offered up; the solemn feasts kept; the songs of Zion, sung by the Levites in delightful harmony; and, above all, the beauty of the Lord their God, his power and glory, while they were inquiring in his sanctuary:

And also when they reflected upon the sad condition and melancholy circumstances in which Zion now was; the city, temple, and altar, lying in heaps of rubbish; no worship and service performed; no sacrifices offered, nor songs sung; nor any that came to her solemn feasts; see (Lamentations 1:2Lamentations 1:4Lamentations 1:7Lamentations 1:16) (Psalms 42:3Psalms 42:4) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Pythia, Ode 9. d. v. 6.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof .
] These were musical instruments, used in the temple service by the Levites, who seem to be the persons here speaking; who took care of them, and preserved them from the plunder of the enemy; and carried them with them to Babylon, in hope of returning with them to use them as before, or to solace themselves and others in captivity; though now they had no heart to make use of them, their sorrow was so great, and therefore hung them upon the willows as useless things: these willows grew upon the banks of the rivers where they were, as such trees usually do; hence called willows of the brook ^F24 , and willows by water courses, (Leviticus 23:40) (Isaiah 44:4) ; and particularly upon the banks of the river Euphrates, which ran through the midst of Babylon, with which the phrase here agrees; and therefore Babylon itself is thought to be called "the brook", or "valley, of the willows", (Isaiah 15:7) . And, according to Ovid ^F25 , not only reeds and poplars, but willows, grew on the banks of the Euphrates.

Now the state of these people was an emblem of the case of the backsliding children of God; who, through the prevalence of corruption, the force of temptation, and the snares of the world, are brought into a kind of captivity to the law of sin and death, though not willingly; nor is it pleasing to them when sensible of it, (Romans 7:23Romans 7:24) ; who, though they are called out of the world, and are not of it; yet sometimes are so overcome with it, and immersed in the things of it, that they are as it were in Babylon. An emblem of this world, of the confusion in it, as its name signifies; of the fading glories of it, and the wickedness and idolatry it abounds with: and here they sit by the rivers of carnal pleasures in it for a while, till brought to themselves; and then they weep over their sins, and lament them; especially when they remember what opportunities they have formerly had in Zion, and what a low condition she is now in through the conduct of themselves and others:

These make use of their harps when Zion is in good and prosperous circumstances, (Revelation 14:1–3) (15:1-3) ; but when there are corruptions in doctrine, neglect or abuse of ordinances, animosities and divisions prevail, declensions in the life and power of religion, and the lives of professors disagreeable; then they hang their harps on willows, and drop their notes.

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: "Amnicolae salices", Ovid. Metamorph. l. 10. Fab. 2. v. 96. "Fluminibus salices", Virgil. Georgic. l. 2. v. 110.
• F25: "Venit ad Euphratem----Populus et cannae riparum summa tegebant, spemque dabant salices----". Ovid. Fasti, l. 2.

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a
song
Or, "words of a song" ^F26 . To repeat the words of one of the songs of Zion, as it is afterwards expressed: this the Babylonians did, as the Targum; who were they that carried the Jews into captivity; and this is given as a reason why they hung their harps on willows, and were so sorrowful, because such a request as this was made;

and they that wasted us [required of us] mirth :
the Chaldeans, who plundered them of their substance, and reduced their city and temple to heaps of rubbish, as the word ^F1 used signifies; or who heaped reproaches upon them, as Jarchi: these insisted not only on having the words of a song repeated to them, but that they should be set to some tune and sung in a manner expressing mirth, or would provoke unto it: or "our lamentations", according to Kimchi; that is, the authors of them ^F2 , so barbarous were they;

[saying], sing us [one] of the songs of Zion ;
which used to be sung in Zion in the temple, called the songs of the temple, (Amos 8:3) ; this demand they made either out of curiosity, that they might know something of the temple songs and music they had heard of; or rather as jeering at and insulting the poor Jews in their miserable and melancholy circumstances; as if they had said, now sing your songs if you can: or in order to make themselves sport and diversion with them, as the Philistines with Samson.

The spiritual songs of Zion are the songs of electing, redeeming, calling, pardoning, and justifying grace; which natural men neither understand, nor can learn, but scoff at and despise.

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: (ryv yrbd) "verba cantici", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "verba earminis", Cocceius.
• F1: (wnyllwt) "qui veluti in acervos nos redegerunt", Tigurine version, Grotius.
• F2: Vid. Stockium, p. 447.

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ?

This is the answer returned by the Jews to the above request or demand; it may be, particularly, by the Levites, whose business it was to sing these songs: so the Targum, ``immediately the Levites said, how shall we sing the hymns of the Lord in a strange land?''

This they said, not merely on account of their unsuitable circumstances, being in distress and affliction, and so not disposed for such work; nor as if unlawful to them, being forbidden: for, though sacrifices were not to be offered but at Jerusalem, yet songs of praise might be sung elsewhere, on proper occasions, as David did, (Psalms 18:49) (Psalms 57:4Psalms 57:8) (63:1-3) ; but as wondering at their insolence, and complaining of their cruelty and inhumanity, thus to insult them and jeer at them.

Or rather, because it was "the Lord's song" they required, and so sacred, and not to be sung in any place, or at any time, and in any company; which would be but casting pearls before swine, and giving that which was holy to dogs, (Matthew 7:6) ; or it may be they required this to be done in one of their temples, and to their idols, just as these songs were sung in the temple at Jerusalem, and to the honour of Jehovah; and therefore they refused to do it: for it may be rendered, or however interpreted, "in the land of a strange god" ^F3; as it is by Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech: they required them to sing with mirth and joy, which they could not do in their present case; see (Psalms 137:2) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F3: (רנכ תמדא לע) "in terra peregina, sc. Dei", Muis, Michaelis.

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem This was said by one or everyone of the Levites; or singers, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi; or by the congregation of Israel, as Jarchi; by one of them, in the name of the rest; or by the composer of the psalm. The Targum is, "the voice of the Spirit of God answered and said, 'if I forget'" that is, to weep over the calamities of Jerusalem; which might be thought, if the songs of Zion were sung; or to pray for the restoration of her prosperity and peace.

As the church of Christ may be said to be forgotten, when men forget to mourn over its breaches, and show no concern for the reparation of them; or at the death of principal persons, which they lay not to heart; or at the great decay of religion in those that survive; or at the sins of professors, and their disregard to the word and ordinances: also when they forget to pray for her happiness in general; for the good of her members in particular; and especially for her ministers, that they may have assistance and success; and for a blessing on the word and ordinances, and for the conversion of sinners; and when they forget the worship of the Lord in it, and forsake the assembling of themselves together.

let my right hand forget [her cunning] ; her skill in music, particularly in playing on the harp; see (1 Samuel 16:16 1 Samuel 16:18) ; the harp was held in the left hand, and struck with the right; and that more softly or hardly, as the note required, in which was the skill or cunning of using it. Or let this befall me, should I so far forget Jerusalem as to strike the harp to one of the songs of Zion in a strange land: or let it forget any of its works; let it be disabled from working at all; let it be dry and withered, which, Aben Ezra says, is the sense of the word according to some; and Schultens ^F4 , from the use of it in Arabic, renders it, let it be "disjointed", or the nerve loosened; see (Job 31:22) . Or the sense is, let everything that is as dear as my right hand he taken from me: or, as it may be rendered, "my right hand [is] forgotten" ^F5 ; that is, should I forget Jerusalem, it would; for that is as my right hand; so Arama. Some choose to translate the words thus, "may you (O God) forget my right hand" ^F6 ; that is, to be at my right hand; to be a present help to me in time of need; to hold me by it, and to be the shade of it.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Animadv. Philol. p. 181.
• F5: (ynymy xkvt) "oblita est nostra dextra", Castalio.
• F6: "Oblivisceris (O Domine) dexterae meae", Gejerus; so some in Michaelis.