O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
The psalm is the song of the captive exiles beside the rivers of Babylon, voicing their grief and longing for Jerusalem in the painful land of their conquerors with assurance of final deliverance. Daughter of Babylon denotes the Babylonians who carried God's people captive in cruelty as the first great power to overthrow and persecute His organized church, herself destined to be destroyed and blessed the one who repays her as she served them. That repayment was fulfilled when Cyrus and Darius captured Babylon, expressing God's retributive justice and approval for ending her oppressive rule rather than urging cruelty. In prophecy the daughter is the wholly apostate and corrupt church in every age, united with worldly powers and trusting state authority rather than God's power, whose judgment is destruction while Zion shines in glory and Zion's songs are sung again when the Lord comes.
Exile Setting and Wording
Psalm 137:8 belongs to a song sung by the captives in Babylon that grew out of the exile, written by the captive exiles beside the rivers of Babylon. It voices the grief, sorrow, and longing of the Jewish captives for Jerusalem, with Zion's songs left unsung amid sorrow. The captives regarded Babylon as the painful land of their enemy and conqueror where they did not want to be. Their longing to return to Jerusalem stands alongside certainty that Babylon will be destroyed, with happiness pronounced on the one who repays Babylon for the way it treated them.
The same song joins the sorrows and afflictions of the Hebrew captives with assurance of divine help and final deliverance from their persecutors. It was written after the Babylonian captivity, after the restoration, by a child of God who had endured the worst of the captivity. It is also a prophecy of the Babylonian captivity. The unsung songs of Zion will be sung again when the Lord comes and God's people reach the heavenly home.
Daughter of Babylon denotes the Babylonians who conquered the Jews and carried them captive, identifying the power responsible for carrying them away. The naming shows Babylon's cruelty toward the Jews when it captured them, as the first great world power to overthrow and persecute God's organized church. The imprecatory statement against Babylon reflects the cruel spirit of the Medo-Persian soldiers rather than the psalmist's own spirit.
Foretold Destruction and Recompense
The pronouncement marks Babylon as destined to be destroyed and calls happy and blessed the one who repays her for what she did to God's people. The captives' longing to return to Jerusalem stands alongside certainty that Babylon will be destroyed. That prediction was fulfilled when Cyrus and Darius captured Babylon and its inhabitants were slaughtered. Its wording expresses God's retributive justice and public approval for those who ended Babylon's oppressive rule, and does not urge cruelty. The judgment on Babylon is the perishing of Zion's foes while Zion shines in glory.
Symbolic Babylon and Church
The daughter of Babylon is a prophetic name for the wholly apostate power, the wholly apostate church. She is the apostate, corrupt church in every age, united with worldly powers and relying on political and state authority rather than God's power. In contrast, the daughter of Zion and the woman in Revelation 12 symbolize the true church, though not always a pure one.
Because Babylon's daughters belong to Babylon, symbolic Babylon includes corrupt Christianity in the Babylon that is destined for destruction, with blessing on the one who repays her for what she did. The songs of Zion left unsung amid exile sorrow will be sung again when the Lord comes and God's people reach the heavenly home.
The psalm is the song of the captive exiles beside the rivers of Babylon, voicing their grief and longing for Jerusalem in the painful land of their conquerors with assurance of final deliverance.
Daughter of Babylon denotes the Babylonians who carried God's people captive in cruelty as the first great power to overthrow and persecute His organized church, herself destined to be destroyed and blessed the one who repays her as she served them.
That repayment was fulfilled when Cyrus and Darius captured Babylon, expressing God's retributive justice and approval for ending her oppressive rule rather than urging cruelty.
In prophecy the daughter is the wholly apostate and corrupt church in every age, united with worldly powers and trusting state authority rather than God's power, whose judgment is destruction while Zion shines in glory and Zion's songs are sung again when the Lord comes.
Exile Setting and Wording
Psalm 137:8 belongs to a song sung by the captives in Babylon that grew out of the exile, written by the captive exiles beside the rivers of Babylon. It voices the grief, sorrow, and longing of the Jewish captives for Jerusalem, with Zion's songs left unsung amid sorrow. The captives regarded Babylon as the painful land of their enemy and conqueror where they did not want to be. Their longing to return to Jerusalem stands alongside certainty that Babylon will be destroyed, with happiness pronounced on the one who repays Babylon for the way it treated them.
The same song joins the sorrows and afflictions of the Hebrew captives with assurance of divine help and final deliverance from their persecutors. It was written after the Babylonian captivity, after the restoration, by a child of God who had endured the worst of the captivity. It is also a prophecy of the Babylonian captivity. The unsung songs of Zion will be sung again when the Lord comes and God's people reach the heavenly home.
Daughter of Babylon denotes the Babylonians who conquered the Jews and carried them captive, identifying the power responsible for carrying them away. The naming shows Babylon's cruelty toward the Jews when it captured them, as the first great world power to overthrow and persecute God's organized church. The imprecatory statement against Babylon reflects the cruel spirit of the Medo-Persian soldiers rather than the psalmist's own spirit.
Foretold Destruction and Recompense
The pronouncement marks Babylon as destined to be destroyed and calls happy and blessed the one who repays her for what she did to God's people. The captives' longing to return to Jerusalem stands alongside certainty that Babylon will be destroyed. That prediction was fulfilled when Cyrus and Darius captured Babylon and its inhabitants were slaughtered. Its wording expresses God's retributive justice and public approval for those who ended Babylon's oppressive rule, and does not urge cruelty. The judgment on Babylon is the perishing of Zion's foes while Zion shines in glory.
Symbolic Babylon and Church
The daughter of Babylon is a prophetic name for the wholly apostate power, the wholly apostate church. She is the apostate, corrupt church in every age, united with worldly powers and relying on political and state authority rather than God's power. In contrast, the daughter of Zion and the woman in Revelation 12 symbolize the true church, though not always a pure one.
Because Babylon's daughters belong to Babylon, symbolic Babylon includes corrupt Christianity in the Babylon that is destined for destruction, with blessing on the one who repays her for what she did. The songs of Zion left unsung amid exile sorrow will be sung again when the Lord comes and God's people reach the heavenly home.