Psalms 137:3
for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of Zion.”
Majority Standard Bible
In The King James Version
In Context
2There on the willows we hung our harps,
4How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?
Cross References
1 Chronicles 15:27Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.
Nehemiah 4:2before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”
Psalms 65:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled.
Psalms 80:6You make us contend with our neighbors; our enemies mock us.
Proverbs 25:20Like one who removes a garment on a cold day or vinegar poured on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Isaiah 51:11So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
Matthew Henry on Psalms 137:2-7
The Sorrows of Captivity. 1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the Lord 's song in a strange land? 5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof… Read the whole commentary →