---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Psalms 137"
description: "PSALM 137   :-. This Psalm records the mourning of the captive
Israelites, and a prayer and prediction respecting the destruction of
their enemies. 1. riv"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137"
---

PSALM 137

. This Psalm records the mourning of the captive
Israelites, and a prayer and prediction respecting the destruction of
their enemies.

**1. rivers of Babylon**—the name
of the city used for the whole country.
**remembered Zion**—or,
Jerusalem, as in [Psalms 132:13](../../../kjv/psalms/132/13).

**2. upon the willows**—which may
have grown there then, if not now; as the palm, which was once
common, is now rare in Palestine.

**3, 4.** Whether the request was in
curiosity or derision, the answer intimates that a compliance was
incongruous with their mournful feelings ().

**5, 6.** For joyful songs would
imply forgetfulness of their desolated homes and fallen Church. The
solemn imprecations on the *hand* and *tongue,* if thus
forgetful, relate to the cunning or skill in playing, and the power
of singing.

**7-9. Remember . . . the children of
Edom**—(Compare [Psalms 132:1](../../../kjv/psalms/132/1)),
that is, to punish.
**the day of Jerusalem**—its
downfall ([Lamentations 4:21](../../../kjv/lamentations/4/21); [Lamentations 4:22](../../../kjv/lamentations/4/22);
[Obadiah 1:11-13](../../../kjv/obadiah/1/11-13)).

**8. daughter of Babylon**—the
people ([Psalms 9:13](../../../kjv/psalms/9/13)). Their
destruction had been abundantly foretold ([Isaiah 13:14](../../../kjv/isaiah/13/14);
[Jeremiah 51:23](../../../kjv/jeremiah/51/23)). For the terribleness
of that destruction, God's righteous judgment, and not the passions
of the chafed Israelites, was responsible.

**7-9. Remember . . . the children of
Edom**—(Compare [Psalms 132:1](../../../kjv/psalms/132/1)),
that is, to punish.
**the day of Jerusalem**—its
downfall ([Lamentations 4:21](../../../kjv/lamentations/4/21); [Lamentations 4:22](../../../kjv/lamentations/4/22);
[Obadiah 1:11-13](../../../kjv/obadiah/1/11-13)).

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Psalms 137"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Psalms 137","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"PSALM 137   :-. This Psalm records the mourning of the captive\nIsraelites, and a prayer and prediction respecting the destruction of\ntheir enemies. 1. riv","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms","name":"Psalms"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/psalms/137","name":"137"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```