Psalms 137:9 Commentary: The Imprecatory Cry for Justice

Psalm 137 was composed during or shortly after the Babylonian exile (586, 538 BC). The opening verses describe the grief of the captives by the rivers of Babylon, hanging their harps and refusing to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land. The exile was catastrophic: Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple burned, and the people carried off. The Edomites, relatives of Israel, had cheered on the destruction, shouting “Raze it, raze it even to its foundation!” (verse 7).

Verse 9 reflects the brutal reality of ancient Near Eastern warfare. Dashing infants against rocks was a standard practice of total war, as seen in Assyrian and Babylonian annals and in Homer’s Iliad. The psalmist draws on the lex talionis (the law of retaliation): as Babylon had done to Jerusalem, so it would be done to Babylon. Cross-references such as Isaiah 13:16, 2 Kings 8:12, and Nahum 3:10 confirm that this practice was both predicted and historically executed. The Hebrew word for “rock” (sela) may refer to a cliff or stone, underscoring the violence.

The phrase “happy shall he be” (ashrei) is an interjection of blessing or fortune. In context, it does not commend cruelty but pronounces a kind of beatitude on the agent of God’s judgment. The psalmist is not gloating; he is expressing trust that God’s justice will come, even in horrific measure, against the empire that devastated God’s people.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew is stable across manuscripts. The KJV's 'stones' reflects a minor translational difference; most versions read 'rock' (sela).

Early Christian writers often allegorized the verse, interpreting the 'little ones' as nascent sins to be dashed against Christ the Rock. For example, Athanasius and Augustine read it as a spiritual warfare text. Reformation commentators like Calvin and Luther read it historically as a prophecy of Babylon's downfall. Modern readers frequently struggle with the violent imagery; some evangelical scholars (e.g., D.A. Carson) argue that the imprecatory psalms teach us to entrust our desire for justice to God.

Three-point outline

1. The context of lament (verses 1, 4): The exiles weep by Babylon’s rivers, unable to sing. Their pain is raw and honest, and it sets the stage for the cry for justice.
2. The cry for justice (verses 5, 9): The psalmist swears allegiance to Jerusalem and calls on God to remember Edom and Babylon. Verse 9 is the climax of that cry, not as a command to violence but as a prophetic decree of retribution.
3. The challenge for today: How do we handle such imprecatory language? This psalm teaches us to bring our deepest wounds to God and to trust that He will one day set all things right.

Five-point outline

1. Honest emotion before God: The psalmist does not hide his anger or grief. He pours out his soul.
2. The reality of evil: The verse names the atrocity of infant-killing as part of the horror of war. It does not gloss over the cruelty of the enemy.
3. God’s justice in history: The psalmist believes God will act in history to punish Babylon, just as He delivered Israel.
4. The hope of vindication: The “blessing” is on the one who executes God’s judgment, not on the violence itself. It is a hope that justice will finally come.
5. The New Testament transformation: Jesus calls us to love enemies, and Paul says vengeance belongs to God. This psalm invites us to hand our anger over to God rather than seeking personal revenge.

Illustration hooks

• The victim’s cry: Imagine a survivor of genocide crying out, “Let the oppressor be crushed.” Such a cry is not malicious, it is a desperate plea for justice. Psalm 137 gives voice to that pain.
• Eye for an eye vs. love your enemy: Many Christians struggle with the Old Testament’s call for justice alongside Jesus’ command to love enemies. This verse illustrates the tension, showing that the desire for justice is human, but God alone is the judge.
• Trusting the judge: In a courtroom, a victim may testify against the criminal without personally carrying out the sentence. Verse 9 is like that testimony: the psalmist declares what God will do, and then steps back.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Does God want me to hate my enemies? (No, but He wants me to be honest about my pain and to trust Him to bring justice.)
• Can I pray this psalm? While I may not literally ask for infants to be dashed, I can use it as a model for crying out to God against real oppression and evil.
• Is it wrong to feel glad when evil is punished? The psalmist feels relief that God’s justice will come, but that gladness is a trust in God’s righteousness, not a personal pleasure in suffering.

Psalm 137 captures the raw pain of exile. The final verse is the most difficult: a blessing on the one who dashes infants against rocks. Before you react, try to enter the world of the psalmist, a world where your children have been murdered and your city destroyed. How does that context change the way you hear this verse? Discuss the questions below with your group, always keeping in mind the goal of understanding both the Old Testament context and the New Testament call to love our enemies.

Discussion questions

1. Observation: What is the emotional tone of Psalm 137 as a whole? List the specific emotions the psalmist and the exiles express.
2. Observation: Who are the enemies identified in verses 7, 9 (Edom and Babylon)? What did they do to Jerusalem?
3. Interpretation: The Hebrew ashrei (“happy” or “blessed”) is often used in the Psalms to describe a person who follows God’s ways. How is it being used differently here? What does it mean to pronounce a “blessing” on an act of judgment?
4. Interpretation: Read Isaiah 13:16, 2 Kings 8:12, and Nahum 3:10. How do these cross-references help us understand that verse 9 is not an isolated wish but part of a larger pattern of prophetic judgment?
5. Application: Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). How does that command relate to the imprecatory cry of this psalm? Can both be true?
6. Application: Have you ever wanted revenge on someone who hurt you deeply? How does this psalm give you permission to be honest with God about that anger, while still trusting Him to handle it?
7. Application: How might a community of faith today pray for justice without becoming vindictive? What would it look like to ask God to “remember” oppressors in a way that leads to their repentance or their judgment?