Psalm 137 8

Psalm 137:8 kjv

O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.

Psalm 137:8 nkjv

O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!

Psalm 137:8 niv

Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.

Psalm 137:8 esv

O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!

Psalm 137:8 nlt

O Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy is the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us.

Psalm 137 verses

Psalm 137 8 Meaning

Psalm 137:8 is a passionate and profound expression of divine justice, born from the depths of the Babylonian captivity. It is a prophetic imprecation, proclaiming the ultimate downfall of Babylon, the oppressor of Israel. The verse declares a divine blessing upon any instrument, raised by God, who will repay Babylon for the severe suffering and destruction it inflicted upon Jerusalem and its people, mirroring the principle of measure-for-measure justice. This is not an endorsement of personal vengeance but an appeal for God's righteous retribution to be manifest.

Psalm 137 8 Context

Psalm 137 is a poignant lament believed to have been composed during the Babylonian exile (586-538 BC). It opens with the desolate image of Israelite captives weeping by the rivers of Babylon, yearning for Zion. The earlier verses capture their refusal to sing songs of Zion in a foreign land and their solemn vow never to forget Jerusalem. This longing and grief abruptly transform into fierce imprecations in verses 7-9, first against Edom for aiding Babylon, then directly against Babylon. Verse 8, "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed, happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us," marks the apex of this shift, articulating a desperate yearning for God's retributive justice against the nation that devastated Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and subjected God's people to horrific cruelty and mockery. The phrase "daughter of Babylon" personifies the city and its inhabitants, making the imprecation intensely personal, yet ultimately rooted in a divine cosmic justice. It functions as a powerful protest against injustice and a profound assertion of faith in Yahweh’s ultimate sovereignty and commitment to His covenant with Israel. This stands in polemic opposition to Babylonian ideology which claimed their gods and empire were invincible.

Psalm 137 8 Word analysis

• O daughter of Babylon (בַּת־בָּבֶל, bat-Bāḇel): "Bat" means daughter. This is a common poetic and prophetic idiom for a city or its inhabitants, personifying the entity. It evokes a sense of both familiarity and specificity, directing the imprecation precisely to the entity responsible for Israel's suffering. This is not necessarily just about the women of Babylon, but the entire nation or capital. The term reflects ancient near eastern literary conventions.
• who art to be destroyed (הַשְּׁדוּדָה, haš-šə·ḏū·ḏāh): This is a Niphal (passive voice) participle, meaning "the devastated one" or "she who is to be plundered/ruined." While structurally a participle, in this context it carries a strong future prophetic sense, signifying Babylon’s divinely ordained destiny. It's an indictment of Babylon's violent nature ("devastator") that anticipates its own violent demise ("to be devastated"). This foreshadows the exact reversal of fortunes that is prayed for in the verse.
• happy (אַשְׁרֵי, ashrei): This is the beatitude formula, meaning "blessed" or "oh, the happiness of." It is typically used to commend and pronounce divine favor upon someone whose actions or character align with God's will (e.g., Ps 1:1). Here, it strikingly applies to one who carries out God's judgment, indicating divine approval of the retributive act against Babylon. It’s a declaration of divine commendation, not a wish for general human happiness.
• shall he be (הוּא, hu): The masculine singular pronoun, referring to the person or entity God uses to execute His justice. This agent is blessed because they are fulfilling God's predetermined plan of recompense.
• that rewardeth thee (יְשַׁלֶּם לָךְ, yəšal·lem lāḵ): From the verb "šālēm" (שׁלם), meaning to complete, repay, or render back. Here it specifically means to give back to Babylon what it deserves, i.e., retribution or recompense. This aligns with the principle of "lex talionis" (eye for an eye) in a broader sense of divine justice. It signifies a full and proper requital.
• as thou hast served us (אֶת־גְּמוּלֵךְ שֶׁגָּמַלְתָּ לָנוּ, ʾeṯ-gəmulēḵ šegāmaləttā lānū): Literally "your deed, that you have done to us." "Gemul" (גְּמוּל) means "recompense," "deed," or "dealing." This phrase highlights the proportional nature of the justice being invoked. The punishment for Babylon should precisely match the suffering and cruelty it inflicted upon God's people. This direct correspondence ensures that the divine action is seen as perfectly just and appropriate.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed": This opening segment personifies Babylon as a feminine entity whose inherent characteristic or future destiny is devastation. It immediately identifies the recipient of the judgment and highlights the cosmic justice at play. This isn't just an angry outburst but a prophetic pronouncement of her assured destruction by divine decree. The prophetic perfect aspect implies that Babylon is already marked for judgment by its destructive nature and past deeds.
• "happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee": This "blessed is he" formula underscores the righteousness of the act of retribution. It asserts that carrying out God's justice against an oppressor is divinely favored and not merely an act of human vengeance. The "he" refers to an agent, likely a nation or ruler (like Cyrus), whom God would raise for this specific purpose. The imprecation thus moves beyond personal desire to an alignment with God's will.
• "as thou hast served us": This clause sets the standard for the promised recompense. It is a precise demand for proportional justice. The destruction inflicted upon Babylon must be equivalent to the suffering, desecration, and humiliation that Babylon imposed upon Jerusalem and the exiles. This emphasizes the ethical grounding of the lament—it seeks divine balance and rectification for immense wrongs.

Psalm 137 8 Bonus section

The strong language in Psalm 137, including verse 8, has prompted significant theological discussion on the nature of imprecatory psalms. They are often interpreted as passionate prayers from individuals or communities who have exhausted all other human avenues for justice, surrendering their cause completely to God. They trust God alone to execute righteous judgment because ultimate vengeance belongs to Him (Rom 12:19). This means the psalmist is not taking matters into his own hands but entrusting them to the Divine Judge. The psychological depth of the psalm also highlights the real pain and spiritual wrestling of believers who experience immense oppression, revealing that lament and even strong expressions of anger against injustice have a legitimate place in faith, provided they are directed towards God’s just action rather than individual human revenge. The psalm serves as a reminder that God hears the cries of the oppressed and will, in His time and way, bring about ultimate justice.

Psalm 137 8 Commentary

Psalm 137:8 stands as one of the Bible’s most powerful imprecations, an unfiltered cry for justice from a people subjected to unspeakable suffering and trauma. Far from promoting personal revenge, this verse operates within the theological framework of divine sovereignty and righteous retribution. It reflects the deep conviction that God is just and will not allow the perpetrators of evil to escape judgment indefinitely. The "daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed" reveals a prophetic certainty; Babylon's fate is sealed due to its destructive nature and acts against God’s covenant people. The beatitude "happy shall he be" then extends divine approval to the instrument God uses for this reckoning. This instrument (historically, the Medo-Persian empire under Cyrus) is blessed not for malice, but for fulfilling God’s righteous purpose in bringing balance and justice where great injustice prevailed. The call for payment "as thou hast served us" is not mere vindictiveness, but a profound theological demand for proportionality, echoing the divine principle that what one sows, so shall one reap. Ultimately, this verse underscores the hope and assurance that despite present despair, God's kingdom and His justice will prevail over all earthly oppressors, a theme that echoes powerfully in the final judgments against "Babylon the Great" in Revelation.