Psalms 137:3
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Original Language Analysis
כִּ֤י
H3588
כִּ֤י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 12
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
שָׁ֨ם
H8033
שְֽׁאֵל֪וּנוּ
required
H7592
שְֽׁאֵל֪וּנוּ
required
Strong's:
H7592
Word #:
3 of 12
to inquire; by implication, to request; by extension, to demand
שׁוֹבֵ֡ינוּ
For there they that carried us away captive
H7617
שׁוֹבֵ֡ינוּ
For there they that carried us away captive
Strong's:
H7617
Word #:
4 of 12
to transport into captivity
דִּבְרֵי
of us a song
H1697
דִּבְרֵי
of us a song
Strong's:
H1697
Word #:
5 of 12
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
וְתוֹלָלֵ֣ינוּ
and they that wasted
H8437
וְתוֹלָלֵ֣ינוּ
and they that wasted
Strong's:
H8437
Word #:
7 of 12
causing to howl, i.e., an oppressor
שִׂמְחָ֑ה
us required of us mirth
H8057
שִׂמְחָ֑ה
us required of us mirth
Strong's:
H8057
Word #:
8 of 12
blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival)
Cross References
Luke 21:6As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.Micah 3:12Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.Isaiah 35:10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.Psalms 65:1Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.Psalms 9:14That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.Psalms 80:6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.Psalms 79:1O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.Jeremiah 9:11And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.Jeremiah 26:18Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.Nehemiah 4:2And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
Historical Context
Babylonian propaganda strategy included cultural displays of conquered peoples to demonstrate imperial power. Requiring worship songs from those whose temple they destroyed added psychological humiliation to physical captivity—forced performance of faith as entertainment for destroyers.
Questions for Reflection
- When has the world demanded you perform 'Christian joy' while mocking Christian truth?
- How do you resist co-option of sacred things into secular entertainment?
- What songs of faith can only be sung in freedom—and which testify even in captivity?
Analysis & Commentary
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song (כִּי שָׁם שְׁאֵלוּנוּ שׁוֹבֵינוּ דִּבְרֵי־שִׁיר)—The captors demand entertainment from captives. Shovenu (those who took us captive) becomes shoalunu (asked/required of us)—forced performance. And they that wasted us required of us mirth (וְתוֹלָלֵינוּ שִׂמְחָה)—tolalenu (those who devastated us) demand simchah (joy/gladness), adding cruelty to conquest.
Sing us one of the songs of Zion (שִׁירוּ לָנוּ מִשִּׁיר צִיּוֹן)—Sacred music reduced to exotic novelty. This echoes modern secularization: biblical imagery co-opted for entertainment while rejecting biblical authority. The request itself blasphemes by divorcing form from substance.