By the Rivers of Babylon - Psalms 137:1

In Psalms one hundred thirty seven and verse one the Psalmist said, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down” where we read,

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

The verse begins, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, ...” The Psalmist began with the words, “by the rivers of Babylon” or “adjoining, beside and alongside the flowing streams or rivers belonging to Babylon whose name means confusion and was known as Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates”, “there we sat down” which means “there, beside the rivers in Babylon, we, the Psalmist and his people, were seated, set, stayed and remained”. The Psalmist shared how he and his people were sitting down by the flowing streams or rivers located in “Babylon”.

The verse continues, “... yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” The Psalmist added the words, “yes, we wept” or “even so and indeed, we, the Psalmist and his people, bewailed, cried and shed tears”, “when we remembered Zion” which means “at the time and moment we, the Psalmist and his fellow countrymen, recalled, called to mind and brought to remembrance Zion whose name means parched place and is another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books”. The Psalmist said he and his fellow countrymen shed tears and cried at the time and moment they recalled “Zion” or “Jerusalem”.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how the Psalmist recalled the time when the people of Israel were captured, removed from Jerusalem and taken to “Babylon” after not obeying God to observe His Sabbaths. For four hundred and ninety years the people of Israel did not obey God in His law concerning the Sabbath years, and God sent them into exile for seventy years for their disobedience. (See Isaiah 23:15-17; Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10; Daniel 9:2; Zechariah 7:5) By these “rivers of Babylon”, possibly the Tigris or the Euphrates Rivers in Babylon, the people of Israel mourned over their losses in the city of Jerusalem. They were distraught and in despair, and yet, Jehovah God had not forsaken them. God gave the people of Israel laws, and they were to obey them. God gives us laws, and we are to obey them. He knows we have violated His laws and have thereby sinned, so He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for our sins so we may be forgiven and receive everlasting life from Him when we believe and trust in Him. God loves Israel, and He loves us. God delivered Israel after seventy years, and He will deliver us when we humble ourselves and cry out to Jesus for help.

Next time the Psalmist says, “we hanged our harps upon the willows”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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