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Psalm 137:1
ESV By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
NIV By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
NASB By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion.
CSB By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.
NLT Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.
KJV By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
NKJV By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion.

What does Psalm 137:1 mean?

Babylon invaded Israel in 536 BC (Daniel 1:1–3), devastated Jerusalem, and carried the people into exile (2 Chronicles 36:17–21). Babylon was associated with the Euphrates river and its extensive transportation and irrigation systems. There, taken from the Promised Land (Psalm 137:4), the people are in mourning. They think of Zion, which is another name for Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1).

The early imagery of this psalm is that of defeat. The people "sit down" in grief. Upcoming verses will explain how the Babylonians mocked them (Psalm 136:3). The psalm will eventually turn to a resentful plea for revenge (Psalm 137:7–9). This song may have been written at any time during the exile, which would last for seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10–14; Ezra 2:1).
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