Psalms 137:9

Happy [shall he be], that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Happy {H835} shall he be, that taketh {H270} and dasheth {H5310} thy little ones {H5768} against the stones {H5553}.

A blessing on anyone who seizes your babies and smashes them against a rock!

Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones Against the rock.

Context of Psalms 137:9

Psalms 137 is a poignant lament born from the deep anguish of the Israelite exiles during the Babylonian captivity. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the people were taken captive to Babylon, where they endured immense suffering and humiliation. The psalm vividly portrays their sorrow, their refusal to sing the Lord's songs in a foreign land (Psalm 137:4), and their burning desire for justice against their oppressors. Verse 9, though shocking in its imagery, is the culmination of this raw emotional outcry, expressing a fervent wish for divine retribution against Babylon, the "daughter of Babylon" mentioned in the preceding verse.

Key Themes and Interpretation

  • Lament and Imprecation: This verse is part of an imprecatory psalm, where the psalmist calls upon God to bring judgment upon the enemies of Israel. These psalms give voice to the intense pain, anger, and desire for justice experienced by those who have suffered grievous wrongs. They are not necessarily commands for human action, but rather appeals to God, entrusting vengeance to His righteous hand.
  • Retributive Justice: The imagery of dashing "little ones against the stones" reflects the brutal realities of ancient warfare and the profound trauma inflicted upon the conquered. The psalmist's wish is for Babylon to experience the same measure of destruction and cruelty that they inflicted upon Jerusalem and its inhabitants. It embodies the principle of "an eye for an eye" (Exodus 21:24), a plea for God's ultimate justice to prevail and restore balance.
  • Human Emotion vs. Divine Standard: This verse is often challenging for modern readers due to its harshness. It is crucial to understand it as an expression of profound human anguish and a cry for God's intervention, rather than a prescriptive moral guideline for individual behavior, especially when viewed through the lens of later biblical revelation.

Linguistic Insight

The Hebrew word translated "happy" is ashre (אַשְׁרֵי), which often introduces a beatitude, signifying blessedness or fortunate state (e.g., the Beatitudes in Matthew 5). In this context, its use is stark and serves to emphasize the psalmist's deep yearning for the vindication of God's justice, where those who brought such misery would themselves face a just and decisive end.

Theological Reflection and Application

Psalms 137:9 reminds us that the Bible honestly portrays the full spectrum of human emotions, including raw pain, anger, and a desire for retribution in the face of extreme injustice. While the New Testament calls believers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, and to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19), this psalm illustrates the Old Testament perspective on divine justice and the fervent hope of the oppressed for God's intervention. It stands as a testament to the suffering of God's people and their desperate plea for His righteous judgment against evil.

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 13:16

    Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

  • Nahum 3:10

    Yet [was] she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

  • Hosea 13:16

    Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

  • Hosea 10:14

    Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Betharbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon [her] children.

  • 2 Kings 8:12

    And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
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