Psalmen 137:3

3 Als zij, die ons aldaar gevangen hielden, de woorden eens lieds van ons begeerden, en zij, die ons overhoop geworpen hadden, vreugd, zeggende: Zingt ons een van de liederen Sions;

Psalmen 137:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 137:3

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.

Psalmen 137:3 In-Context

1 Aan de rivieren van Babel, daar zaten wij, ook weenden wij, als wij gedachten aan Sion.

2 Wij hebben onze harpen gehangen aan de wilgen, die daarin zijn.

3 Als zij, die ons aldaar gevangen hielden, de woorden eens lieds van ons begeerden, en zij, die ons overhoop geworpen hadden, vreugd, zeggende: Zingt ons een van de liederen Sions;

4 Wij zeiden: Hoe zouden wij een lied des HEEREN zingen in een vreemd land?

5 Indien ik u vergeet, o Jeruzalem! zo vergete mijn rechterhand zichzelve!