Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse isn't celebrating violence for its own sake, but is a prophecy foretelling the harsh reality of war's retribution, where the perpetrators of cruelty will face a terrible mirroring of their own actions. It starkly illustrates the principle of "what goes around, comes around" on a national scale, prophesying a day when Babylon's own brutality will be inflicted upon them.
Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse concludes a psalm filled with the deep sorrow of Israelite exiles in Babylon. Having described their anguish and refusal to sing joyful songs so far from home, the psalm turns to a prophetic curse against their oppressors, Babylon. The imprecation in verse 9 is a direct call for retribution, envisioning a brutal act of war as a just consequence for Babylon’s cruelty.
This verse is shocking, isn't it? It’s easy to read this and wonder if the Psalmist is actually wishing for this violence. Let's look closer.
This verse isn't a blank check for personal revenge. Instead, it’s a prophetic declaration of God's judgment upon Babylon. The ancient world had brutal warfare, and the Psalmist is foretelling that Babylon will suffer the same fate she inflicted on others. It's a statement about divine justice and the consequences of extreme cruelty.
The phrase 'little ones' or 'sucklings' hits hard. What does it mean that this specific detail of violence is mentioned?
The mention of 'little ones' or 'sucklings' is meant to emphasize the utter totality of the judgment. It’s not just the soldiers or the leaders who will face destruction, but the most vulnerable. This highlights the depth of Babylon's sin and the comprehensive nature of God’s justice.
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This verse reflects the brutal realities of ancient warfare, where the utter destruction of an enemy, including their children, was a common practice and seen as a form of retributive justice. The psalmist, living in the trauma of the Babylonian exile, prophetically calls for this same level of devastation upon Babylon as recompense for what Babylon did to Jerusalem.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and scattering them into exile. This event served as a grim precedent for future empires dealing with conquered peoples.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting its people, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion in Judah, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of the population, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. The Temple in Jerusalem is also plundered.
586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, the heart of Israelite worship and identity. The majority of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon, initiating the period known as the Babylonian Captivity.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus the Great, conquers Babylon. This event shifts the geopolitical landscape and eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
This passage describes the brutal warfare that will befall Babylon, explicitly mentioning the dashing of infants against the rocks, mirroring the curse in Psalms 137.
Hosea 10:14This verse foretells the destruction of a sinful nation, including the violent death of mothers and children during warfare, highlighting the severe consequences of national sin.
Jeremiah 51:24-25Here, Jeremiah prophesies God's judgment against Babylon, calling it a 'destroying mountain' and detailing its retribution for all the evil it has done to Israel, aligning with the psalmist's prophetic curse.
2 Kings 8:12This account of Hazael's brutality in Syria, where he 'dashed their little ones in pieces, and ripped up their women with child,' provides a historical precedent for the kind of violence described and cursed in Psalms 137.
ellicottPsalms 137:9: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones."
(9) Little ones. —Literally, sucklings. Stones.—Better, cliff or rock. For this feature of barbarous cruelty with which ancient war was cursed see 2Kings 8:12; Isaiah 13:16; Hosea 10:14, &c; and comp. Homer, Iliad, xxii. 63: “My bleeding infants dashed against the floor.”
clarkePsalms 137:9: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones."
Happy - that taketh and dasheth thy little ones - That is, So oppressive hast thou been to all under thy domination, as to become universally hated and detested; so that those who may have the last hand in thy destruction, and the total extermination of thy inhabitants, shall be reputed happy - shall be celebrated and extolled as those who have rid the world of a curse so grievous. These prophetic dec…
The verse isn't celebrating violence for its own sake, but is a prophecy foretelling the harsh reality of war's retribution, where the perpetrators of cruelty will face a terrible mirroring of their own actions. It starkly illustrates the principle of "what goes around, comes around" on a national scale, prophesying a day when Babylon's own brutality will be inflicted upon them.
This verse concludes a psalm filled with the deep sorrow of Israelite exiles in Babylon. Having described their anguish and refusal to sing joyful songs so far from home, the psalm turns to a prophetic curse against their oppressors, Babylon. The imprecation in verse 9 is a direct call for retribution, envisioning a brutal act of war as a just consequence for Babylon’s cruelty.
This verse concludes a psalm filled with the deep sorrow of Israelite exiles in Babylon. Having described their anguish and refusal to sing joyful songs so far from home, the psalm turns to a prophetic curse against their oppressors, Babylon. The imprecation in verse 9 is a direct call for retribution, envisioning a brutal act of war as a just consequence for Babylon’s cruelty.
"Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!" — The verse isn't celebrating violence for its own sake, but is a prophecy foretelling the harsh reality of war's retribution, where the perpetrators of cruelty will face a terrible mirroring of their…
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Last reviewed October 2026