Psalms 137:2

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

We hanged {H8518} our harps {H3658} upon the willows {H6155} in the midst {H8432} thereof.

We had hung up our lyres on the willows that were there,

There on the willows we hung our harps,

Upon the willows in the midst thereof We hanged up our harps.

Psalm 137:2 paints a poignant picture of the deep despair experienced by the Jewish exiles in Babylon. It describes their inability to find joy or offer praise to God in a foreign land after the destruction of Jerusalem.

Context

This verse is part of Psalm 137, a powerful lament that captures the anguish of the Israelites during the Babylonian captivity. Following the conquest of Judah and the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC, many Jews were forcibly deported to Babylon. Psalm 137:1 sets the scene: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." In this context, hanging their harps on the willows symbolizes the profound grief and the cessation of joyful worship, as their captors mockingly demanded songs of Zion (as seen in Psalm 137:3).

Key Themes

  • Profound Sorrow and Loss: The image of silent harps reflects the overwhelming grief for their homeland, the Temple, and their spiritual identity. The harps, instruments of joy and praise in Israelite worship, are rendered useless.
  • Inability to Praise in Captivity: The act of hanging up the harps signifies that the environment of exile was antithetical to the spirit of praise. Their hearts were too heavy with sorrow to sing the Lord's songs (as articulated in Psalm 137:4).
  • Despair and Despondency: The willows, often associated with weeping and melancholy, provide a fitting backdrop for this scene of utter dejection. It illustrates a complete lack of hope for immediate celebration.

Linguistic Insights

The "harps" mentioned here refer to the Hebrew word kinnorot (כִּנּוֹרוֹת), which was a type of lyre, a stringed instrument commonly used in Temple worship and for joyful occasions. The "willows" (Hebrew: 'aravim, עֲרָבִים) are trees that typically grow near water, often symbolizing sorrow or mourning in ancient Near Eastern poetry. The combination powerfully conveys the depth of their despair, where the instruments of joy are silenced and left to hang on trees associated with lamentation.

Practical Application

Psalm 137:2 offers a profound insight into the human experience of sorrow and spiritual despondency. It reminds us that there are times in life when grief is so overwhelming that praise feels impossible. This verse gives permission to lament and acknowledge seasons of spiritual dryness or profound loss. It teaches that even in the depths of despair, the memory of God's presence and promises (like the hope of future restoration) can persist, even if the melody is momentarily silenced. It resonates with anyone who has felt too broken or too far from home to sing.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.
  • Isaiah 24:8

    The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
  • Ezekiel 26:13

    And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
  • Psalms 81:2

    Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
  • Amos 8:10

    And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only [son], and the end thereof as a bitter day.
  • Psalms 33:2

    Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery [and] an instrument of ten strings.
  • Revelation 18:22

    And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

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