The verse paints a vivid picture of sorrow, but the "sitting down" isn't just a passive act. It suggests a deliberate pause, a settling into their grief by the foreign waters, which then makes the ache of remembering Zion – their lost home – all the more profound.
By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Exiled in the foreign land of Babylon, these Judean captives gathered by the rivers and canals that characterized the landscape. Their hearts ached with profound sorrow, not just for their current state of captivity, but especially for the memory of their beloved homeland, Jerusalem, and its destroyed temple. The sight of flowing water only seemed to mirror their tears as they remembered Zion's former glory and present desolation.
Imagine being so far from home that even the landscape around you amplifies your sorrow. What does the setting of this Psalm tell us about their pain?
The captives are by the 'rivers of Babylon.' This isn't just a geographical marker; it paints a picture of their exile.
A Land of Waterways
Babylon was famous for its elaborate system of rivers, canals, and watercourses. The Euphrates River flowed right through it, and numerous streams crisscrossed the land. This setting, so different from the hills of Zion, would have constantly reminded them of what they had lost.
A Place of Solitude or Labor?
Did they sit by the rivers by choice, seeking a quiet place to mourn away from their captors? Or were they there for forced labor, working on the riverbanks or canals? Either way, the location became a symbol of their captivity and a backdrop for their deep sadness.
What makes remembering home so painful when you can't return? This verse reveals the bittersweet agony of memory.
The core of their sorrow wasn't just the hardship of exile; it was the memory of Zion.
Past Joys, Present Pain
They sat and wept 'when we remembered Zion.' This remembrance likely brought back vivid images of Jerusalem: the majestic Temple, the lively worship, the joyous festivals, the presence of God.
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A Stark Contrast
This memory of what was made their current reality unbearable. They contrasted the sacred beauty and peace of Zion with the dusty, foreign land of Babylon. Their former privileges and present desolation were a painful juxtaposition, swelling their tears.
Understand the original words
Babel · Hebrew Proper Noun
In the Old Testament, this refers to the city of Babylon, but also symbolically represents the place of exile, alienation from God’s presence, and oppression by pagan nations. It is often contrasted with Zion/Jerusalem as a place of spiritual darkness.
Tsiyyon · Hebrew Proper Noun
In the Bible, this is the mountain or city where God chose to dwell among His people. It represents the presence of God, the place of worship, the covenant kingdom, and the ultimate hope for God’s people in their restoration.
shabah · Hebrew Noun
Used here to refer to those who have taken the Israelites into captivity; generally, it signifies those who exert power over God’s people in an unrighteous or oppressive manner.
shiyrah Tsiyyon · Hebrew Noun Phrase
Songs intended for the worship of Yahweh, specifically associated with the liturgical life of the Temple and the expression of devotion to the covenant God of Israel.
This psalm captures the profound grief of the Judean exiles after Jerusalem's destruction, vividly contrasting their former joy in Zion with their sorrowful reality by the rivers of Babylon.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, lays siege to Jerusalem and begins deporting key citizens, including young noblemen like Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the start of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation
Following further rebellion, Jerusalem is again besieged, and King Jehoiachin along with thousands more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, are exiled to Babylon. Temple treasures are also taken.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar utterly destroys Jerusalem and its temple. The remaining population is exiled to Babylon, leaving the land largely desolate and marking the lowest point of the exile.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon. This geopolitical shift paves the way for the return of the exiles.
538 BC
Cyrus's Edict Allowing Return
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem, marking the end of the exile.
This passage directly echoes Psalm 137:1, describing Babylon as a city of many waters and foreshadowing its judgment, highlighting the significance of the rivers in the context of exile and judgment.
Lamentations 1:1-2These verses paint a vivid picture of Jerusalem's desolation, providing the deep sorrow and grief that would fuel the weeping of the exiles in Babylon when they remembered Zion.
Ezekiel 1:1Ezekiel, another prophet in exile, describes a vision he received by the river Chebar in Babylon, showing that the exiles were in specific locations by the waters, where they could ponder their lost homeland.
Nehemiah 1:4Nehemiah's prayer reveals a similar deep sorrow and remembrance of Zion, even generations after the exile, showing the enduring impact of losing Jerusalem and the temple on the Jewish people.
Acts 16:13This New Testament passage shows a later Jewish custom of gathering by rivers for prayer, suggesting that such places became associated with worship and communal remembrance for displaced Jewish people.
gillPsalms 137:1: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion."
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down,.... If by Babylon is meant the country, then the rivers of it are Chebar, Ulai, Tigris, Euphrates, and others; see Ezekiel 1:1 ; but if the city itself, then only Euphrates, which ran through it; and is expressed by rivers, because of the largeness of it, and because of the several canals cut out of it, for the service of the city; hence Babylon is sai…
ellicottPsalms 137:1: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion."
(1) By the rivers . . .—Mentioned as the characteristic feature of the country, as we say “among the mountains of Wales.” The canals which irrigated Babylonia made it what an ancient writer called it, the greatest of “cities of river places.”
The verse paints a vivid picture of sorrow, but the "sitting down" isn't just a passive act. It suggests a deliberate pause, a settling into their grief by the foreign waters, which then makes the ache of remembering Zion – their lost home – all the more profound.
Exiled in the foreign land of Babylon, these Judean captives gathered by the rivers and canals that characterized the landscape. Their hearts ached with profound sorrow, not just for their current state of captivity, but especially for the memory of their beloved homeland, Jerusalem, and its destroyed temple. The sight of flowing water only seemed to mirror their tears as they remembered Zion's former glory and present desolation.
Exiled in the foreign land of Babylon, these Judean captives gathered by the rivers and canals that characterized the landscape. Their hearts ached with profound sorrow, not just for their current state of captivity, but especially for the memory of their beloved homeland, Jerusalem, and its destroyed temple. The sight of flowing water only seemed to mirror their tears as they remembered Zion's former glory and present desolation.
"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying,…" — The verse paints a vivid picture of sorrow, but the "sitting down" isn't just a passive act. It suggests a deliberate pause, a settling into their grief by the foreign waters, which then makes the ac…
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Last reviewed October 2026
