137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sit down and weep when we remember Zion.
The author of this song is unknown. This is the only chapter in the Bible which tells about the nation of Israel while they were captive in Babylon.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The canals which irrigated the Hanging Gardens were built by Jewish slave labor. The Jewish slaves were sitting at the canals. They were weeping, because they missed Jerusalem. They were enslaved in a foreign land, because they were disobedient towards the Mosaic Covenant.
137:2 On the poplars in her midst we hang our harps,
People traveled to the Jewish festivals to hear 100,000 people sing songs to Jehovah. Many of the 150 Psalms were sung during these Jewish festivals. Israel was world famous for their music. However, they did not play any music while they were captive in Babylon. They hung their harps upon the poplar trees.
137:3 for there our captors ask us to compose songs; those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: “Sing for us a song about Zion!”
The Babylonians traveled to the canals to hear these great Jewish musicians sing their songs. However, the Jewish musicians refused to sing. Therefore, the Babylonians mocked them.
137:4 How can we sing a song to the Lord in a foreign land?
The psalms taught the Israel people that the Messianic King would one day arrive and bring a glorious new kingdom to Israel. Jewish musicians would not sing these songs while they were captive in Babylon.
137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be crippled!
The Jewish captives did not want to forget these messianic promises of the New Jerusalem to come.
137:6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, and do not give Jerusalem priority over whatever gives me the most joy.
The return to Jerusalem was the main priority of the enslaved Jewish nation.
137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. They said, “Tear it down, tear it down,right to its very foundation!”
The Edomites cheered when the Babylonians tore down the temple of Jerusalem. This was a violation of the Abrahamic Covenant. There will be no Edomites in the Millennial Kingdom. The city of Edom will become a burning prison for demons.
137:8 O daughter Babylon, soon to be devastated! How blessed will be the one who repays you for what you dished out to us!
When Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, she violated the Abrahamic Covenant. She will receive a kind-for-kind judgment. During the Millennial Kingdom, Babylon will become a second burning prison for demons.
137:9 How blessed will be the one who grabs your babies and smashes them on a rock!
When Babylon attacked Israel, she grabbed the babies out of the arms of Jewish mothers and smashed their heads against the rocks. When King Cyrus of Persia attacked Babylon, his soldiers did the same thing to the Babylonian mothers.