Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 137
PSALM CXXXVII.
Verſ. 1. BY the rivers of Babylon, there we ſat down, yea we wept, when we remembred Zion.] For the better underſtanding of this & other paſſages in this Pſalm, take notice, 1. that it was penned as in the name of the holy Levites, that had been ſingers in the Temple, as appears by many paſſages in it; as thoſe wherein there is mention made of their harps, & the enemies deſiring them to ſing one of the ſongs of Zion, &c: 2. that the drift of this Pſalm might be different, according as we may differently conceive of the time when it was written. For if it were penned after their return out of Babylon, as ſome think, becauſe he ſpeaks here of thoſe things that were done in Babylon in the time paſt, there we ſat down, yea we wept, when we remembred Zion, &c. then the ſcope of the Pſalmiſt was, to render the people the more thankfull for their deliverance out of Babylon, by putting them in mind how ſad their condition was when they were in captivity: but if it were compoſed whilſt they were yet in Babylon, Cyrus not having yet ſubdued the Babylonians, (which others conceive may be probably gathered from thoſe words verſ. 8. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be deſtroyed, &c.) then the drift of the Pen-man of this Pſalm might be, to keep the people from being too much dejected, & eſpecially from being polluted with the ſuperſtition and profaneneſſe of the nations amongſt whom they lived in ſo laſting a captivity as ſeventy years, to wit, by propounding herein to them the example of the ſtedfaſt faith and piety of the holy Levites, how they could not be intangled by the delicacies of Babylon, but ſtill groaned & longed after Zion, & how they could not be wonne to do any thing, that might be a diſhonour to their God and their religion, yea how they foretold the deſtruction both of the Edomites & Babylonians, verſ. 7, 8. which ſhewed that they expected a time of deliverance: 3. that thoſe words here, there we ſat down, are either to imply their long continuance in Babylon, or elſe to ſet forth hereby their wearineſſe after this toilſome labour, or rather their ſadneſſe and ſorrow; for ſitting is uſually mentioned in the Scripture as the geſture of mourners, as Job 2.12. So they, that is, Jobs friends, when they found him in ſuch a ſad condition, ſat down with him upon the ground ſeven daies & ſeven nights, &c. & Jer. 15.17. I ſat alone, becauſe of thine hand; for thou haſt filled me with indignation, & Lam. 2.10. The elders of the daughter of Zion ſit upon the ground, & keep ſilence: & 4. that it is expreſſed that they ſat down & wept by the rivers of Babylon, 1. becauſe Babylon was a countrey full of goodly rivers, ſee Ezek. 1.1. Dan. 10.4. the chief whereof were Tigris and Euphrates; 2. becauſe the captive Jews were not ſuffered to dwell amongſt the Babylonians in their towns & cities, they being as odious to the Babylonians as formerly they had been to the Egyptians, but were aſſigned to have their habitation by themſelves in the countrey, that they might there be ſet a work in their ſervile field-imployments; & ſo they lodged in the open field, or at the beſt in ſome poor tents and cottages, which there they reared up for themſelves by the river ſide; or 3. becauſe they were wont when they had any leaſure, to retire thither by themſelves, and there to ſit down, & bewail their condition; or 4. that this might imply that the pleaſures of Babylon, which conſiſted much in their goodly rivers, could not make them forget their ſorrow for Zion, but that even there they ſat down, and poured forth many ſad penitentiall tears, when they remembred Zion, that is, in what a ſad condition poor Zion lay, and how they were deprived of that comfort in Gods preſence and publick worſhip they had formerly enjoyed.
Verſ. 2. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midſt thereof.] Becauſe it may ſeem very improbable, that the Levites ſhould have ſo much leiſure, as to mind the ſaving of the muſicall inſtruments of the Temple, (which are all comprehended under the harps here mentioned) when the Babylonians were with ſuch rage burning the city & Temple of Jeruſalem, and making ſuch a ſlaughter as they did amongſt the inhabitants, and when therefore they muſt needs have enough to doe to ſecure their own lives; or that the mercileſſe plundering ſouldiers would ſhew them ſo much favour, as to let them retain their muſicall inſtruments; therefore ſome Expoſitours take theſe words, We hanged our harps upon the willows, to be only a figurative proverbial expreſſion, meaning only that there they bad adieu to their muſicall inſtruments, being brought into ſuch a ſad and dolefull condition. But becauſe there follows in the next verſes an hiſtoricall relation of what the Babylonians ſaid to them, and what they anſwered again, I conceive it is clear that the Pſalmiſt relates what was actually done, namely, that they did indeed hang up their harps upon the willows in the open fields; thereby ſhewing how little they regarded them, and giving the Babylonians to underſtand, in whoſe ſight they did this, that the pleaſant ſhade of thoſe willows by the rivers ſides could not tempt them to make uſe of their muſicall delights, when as their ſouls were ſo oppreſſed with ſorrow for the miſeries of Zion. Neither ſeems it to me ſo improbable, either that the Levites ſhould in that confuſion of the ſacking of Jeruſalem endeavour with all ſollicitous care to reſerve to themſelves, and to carry away with them, thoſe holy precious remainders of the Temples utenſils, as memorials of Gods Zion, and the delight they had formerly taken in Gods worſhip there, and which in Gods good time they might hope again to uſe in the holy ſervice of God, as they had formerly done; and haply as hoping they might allay their ſorrow in their captivity by ſome muſicall refreſhings, though afterwards they found themſelves ſo overpreſſed with ſorrow, that they could not take any delight therein; or, that the Babylonians ſhould afford this favour, eſpecially if we conſider that they might out of curioſity deſire to hear what the skill of the Hebrews was in thoſe kinds of melody; for which alſo ſee the following verſe.
Verſ. 3. For, &c.] This word ſhews, that here another reaſon is given why they hanged up their harps upon the willows: they that carried us away captives required of us a ſong, & they that waſted us, that is, that ſacked us & pillaged us, & laid our city on heaps, as the Hebrew word ſignifies, required of us mirth; to wit, not ſo much out of a deſire to delight themſelvs with the muſick of the Hebrews, or to heare what their skill was in playing & ſinging (though that ſome might have reſpect to, as is before noted,) as by way of ſcoffing at them, & inſulting over them: Sing us, ſay they, one of the ſongs of Zion; as if they had ſaid, what? is your God dead, to whom you were wont to ſing? If he were formerly delighted with your muſick, why do you give it over? And obſervable it is that the Pſalmiſt doth expreſſe this, that it was they that carried them away captives that required this of them: for this was 1. to imply, how unreaſonable a thing it was, that they that had brought them into ſuch a ſad condition ſhould require mirth of them; & 2. to imply the courage of theſe poor captives, that being in bondage could yet in this refuſe to gratify their lords & maſters.
Verſ. 4. How shall we ſong the Lords ſong in a ſtrange land?] That is, being in exile, where we are overpreſſed with ſorrow, both for our own ſufferings, & the ſad condition wherein Zion lyes; what heart do ye think we can have to ſing? eſpecially conſidering that the Lord doth hereby call us to mourning. Yea, how dare we profane the holy ſongs of Zion, compoſed for the worſhip of the Lord our God, by ſinging them to an idolatrous heatheniſh people, to make them merry, and ſo to expoſe them to their deriſion and ſcorn? This I conceive is the drift of this their anſwer. Yet there may be in theſe words alſo a covert intimation, that they hoped that God would carry them back into their own land, and that then they would chearfully ſing the ſongs of Zion, though in a ſtrange land they could not doe it. And ſo alſo ſome underſtand the following verſe.
Verſ. 5. If I forget thee, O Ieruſalem, &c.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, ſo as not earneſtly to long after, and to wait for the promiſed reſtauration of poor Jeruſalem, which our enemies do ſo ſcorn & deſpiſe; and ſo as not to be moſt ready to ſing the ſongs of Zion, if God ſhould ever carry us back thither, to ſee Jeruſalem again in a flouriſhing condition, though now indeed we can neither play nor ſing; or rather, If I forget thee, O Ieruſalem, to wit, ſo as to give my ſelf to muſick and merriment, whilſt thou art in ſo ſad a condition: let my right hand forget her cunning; that is, let my skill fail me of playing upon muſicall inſtruments, that gift wherewith God hath honoured me for his ſervice; or, let a dead palſey ſeiſe upon my right hand, that I may never play on inſtrument more: ſee alſo the following Note.
Verſ. 6. If I do not remember thee, &c.] See the foregoing Note: let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; that is, let me be ſtricken with an apoplexy, that I may not be able to ſing or to ſpeak. But indeed theſe imprecations are no more in effect, then as if they had ſaid, that they might well expect ſome notable judgement from God upon them, if they ſhould thus forget Jeruſalem. If I preferre not Ieruſalem above my chief joy; that is, If I do not eſteem, deſire & pray for the happy recovery and flouriſhing eſtate of Jeruſalem, more then any thing that might yield me the greateſt joy for mine own particular; or rather, if I rejoyce in any thing more then in the reſtauration of Jeruſalem, or till I ſee Jeruſalem in a better condition, if I prefer not my mourning for Jeruſalem before the chiefeſt joy that can betide me.
Verſ. 7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, &c.] To wit, how they carried themſelves towards thy people: in the day of Ieruſalem; that is, in the day of her deſtruction, as it is ſaid of the Ethiopians, Ezek. 30.9. great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt, that is, in the day when Egypt was deſtroyed: ſee alſo the Notes Job 18.20. and Pſal. 37.13. And how they carried themſelves is expreſſed in the following words, who ſaid, Raſe it, raſe it, even to the foundations thereof: the meaning whereof is, that they with much delight aſſiſted and encouraged the Babylonians in the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, as is largely related by the prophet Obadiah, verſ. 11, 12, 13, 14. But now the drift of this prayer of the holy Levites is, that as they remembred Jeruſalem to pity her, ſo God would remember the cruelty of her enemies to puniſh them for it; covertly to aſſure the poor Jews, that this in his own good time, God would certainly doe; & that becauſe God had foretold this by his prophets concerning the Edomites in particular, and that with ſpeciall reſpect to their unthankfulneſſe to the children of Iſrael, who had formerly ſpared them as brethren, Deut. 2.4, 5. when they firſt entred the land of Canaan, as Obad. 10. for thy violence againſt thy brother Iacob▪ shame shall cover thee, & thou shalt be cut off for ever, & ſo in many other places; of which therefore in theſe words, Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, the Levites deſire the Lord to be mindfull.
Verſ. 8. O daughter of Babylon, &c.] That is, O thou great and mighty empire of Babylon, now in the prime of thy beauty & glory; or, O thou nation, O ye people of Babylon, ſee the Note 2 Kings 19.21: who art to be destroyed; which they ſpeak with confidence, becauſe this the prophets had foretold, as Iſa. 47.1, &c. and in many other places: happy shall he be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast ſerved us; to wit, becauſe it ſhall be counted an honour to them, that they have executed Gods vengeance upon ſuch a wicked cruell people; & becauſe God would recompence this with outward proſperity & ſucceſſe and many earthly bleſſings. Yet ſome take this as only implying their deſire, that they might be happy that ſhould ſo return the cruelty of the Babylonians into their own boſoms.
Verſ. 9. Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones againſt the ſtones.] The Pſalmiſt may ſeem herein to have reſpect to that place in Iſaiahs propheſie, where this very thing is expreſly foretold concerning the Babylonians, Iſa. 13.16. Their children alſo shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes, &c. And his aim herein was to ſet forth, that though this were in it ſelf an act of horrid cruelty, yet they that ſhould ſo uſe the Chaldeans ſhould be honoured for it, becauſe they had exerciſed the ſame cruelty towards Gods people.