Psalm 137 (136):4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

‘How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?’ This signifies that we are restricted from singing; even though we have been removed from our homeland, we steadfastly uphold the law and adhere to it fully; even if you possess our physical forms, you will not conquer the spirit. Can you perceive a soul that has become compassionate through suffering and has risen above adversity?

Yet, the faithful citizens of holy Jerusalem, upon recognizing their captivity, observe how the natural passions and various desires of humanity tug them in countless directions, often drowning them in despair. They witness this, and instead of plunging into the waters of Babylon, they choose to sit and weep—not just for the lost souls being swept away, but for themselves, having brought about their own exile. They sit down, which signifies a posture of humility. O holy Zion, where everything is solid and unchanging! How have we come to this state? Why have we forsaken Your Creator and Your community? In the chaos of a world where all things shift and slip away, it is challenging for anyone to grasp a lifeline amidst the current. Therefore, humbled in our captivity, we shall sit by the waters of Babylon, avoiding their depths, refusing pride in our plight, and weeping in silence. Let us linger by the waters, not immersing ourselves in them; such is our humility, a safeguard against being overwhelmed. We must remain beside the waters, maintaining our posture of humility and silence, unlike in Jerusalem.

Many weep alongside the sorrows of Babylon because they equally rejoice in its pleasures. When one finds joy in material gains and sorrow in losses, both responses belong to Babylon. We ought to weep, but in remembrance of Zion, which must accompany our joy even in Babylon’s midst.

On the willows in the midst of it, we hung our harps (Psalm 135:2). The true inhabitants of Jerusalem possess their instruments—God’s Word, His commandments, His promises, and contemplations of eternal life. Yet, while residing in Babylon, they suspend their music. Willows, which are barren, yield no understanding of goodness for us; perhaps elsewhere, there may be insight. Here, these barren trees by Babylon's streams—fed by its waters—produce no fruit. Similarly, individuals who are greedy, selfish, and unproductive in good deeds, resemble Babylonian trees, nourishing themselves on fleeting pleasures as if sustained by Babylon's waters. Seek fruit from them, and there shall be none found.

Thus, we defer the application of Scripture to them and hang our harps upon the willows. For we regard them unworthy to bear our instruments; therefore, we refrain from playing them or binding them to the willows and rather suspend them. For willows represent the barren trees of Babylon, sustained by fleeting pleasures, akin to the waters flowing from Babylon.

There, those who have taken us captive demand that we sing joyful songs, and they who lead us away require a hymn (Psalm 135:3). They compel us for words of songs and hymns—who drags us into captivity? We are wooed by earthly delights, struggling against unlawful desires, hardly finding breath even in prayer; we are aware of our bondage. Who has taken us captive? What individuals, what lineage, what authority? If we are redeemed, it follows we were once captives. Who redeemed us? Christ. From whom has He set us free? From the evil one. The devil and his minions once ensnared us, leading us only because we acquiesced.

So those who seized us, the devil and his angels, implore, 'Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!' What are we to reply? Babylon sustains you, Babylon nourishes you, Babylon speaks through your lips, and you fail to grasp the eternal truths; you are unmindful of the present joys and unable to reflect on everlasting realities. 'How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?' (Psalm 135:4). Indeed, dear friends, we must acknowledge this reality. Strive to proclaim the truth as you understand it, and you will encounter scoffers and persecutors of the truth, full of deceit. When they challenge you with inquiries they cannot accept, respond with bold assurance through your sacred song: 'How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?'

But behold how you live among them, O people of God, O body of Christ, O noble assembly of wayfarers (for this is not your true home), lest in seeking their companionship, without fear of pleasing such individuals, you become enamored with Babylon and forsake Jerusalem. With this caution in mind, consider the psalmist’s words and what follows. 'If I forget you, O Jerusalem' (Psalm 136:5), amidst the treacherous declarations of those who have ensnared me, amidst the insidious whispers of those who inquire with malicious intent yet refuse to learn... What, then? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.

'Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you' (Psalm 135:6). In other words, let me be silent if I do not remember you. What voice can one express who does not speak the songs of Zion? The language of the world’s affection is foreign to us—a barbaric tongue learned in captivity. One who forgets Jerusalem shall be mute before God. And merely remembering is insufficient; for her adversaries also recall her, yearning to raze her to the ground. 'What sort of city is this?' they remark, 'Who are the Christians? What manner of people are Christians?' They say, 'If they were not Christians…'

Now the captives have overcome their captors, yet still they murmur in anger and yearn to destroy the holy city that dwells among them like a stranger. Therefore, it is not enough to remember; observe how one remembers. Some things are recalled with animosity, others with affection. That is why, when he states, 'If I forget you, Jerusalem,' he almost immediately adds, 'If I do not place Jerusalem above my greatest joy.' For there exists a pinnacle of joy where we commune with God, removed from the turmoil and unity of earthly kinship. Unassailable by temptation, only good shall engage our hearts; all desires shall cease, and perfect bliss shall illuminate our souls.

Then he petitions God against the foes of that city: 'Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom' (Psalm 136:7). Edom, synonymous with Esau, invokes the prophecy you have just heard from the apostle, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated' (Romans 9:13). Thus, Edom represents all things carnal, while Jacob embodies spiritual essence. All carnal individuals resent those who are spiritual. For those who crave the present persecute the eternal yearnings of others. The psalmist, reflecting on Jerusalem and imploring God for deliverance from captivity, declares—what? 'Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom.'

Deliver us from the carnal who imitate Esau, our elder brother yet enemy. They were the forerunners, yet the first shall be last, for it was the desires of the flesh that led to the fall of the former, while the scorn of desire exalted the latter. Others endure in enmity and hostility. On the day of Jerusalem—was it the day of her trial, her captivity, or that blessed day when she stands liberated, reaching her ultimate hope, when she receives eternity? 'Remember,' he pleads, 'do not forget those who called, 'Destroy it, destroy it to its very foundation.' Recall the time when they sought to dismantle Jerusalem. How greatly the Church has suffered! Just as the offspring of Edom—that is, carnal people, servants of the devil and his minions—who worshipped idols of wood and stone, pursued the desires of the flesh, declared, 'Root out the Christians; annihilate them, let them not endure; destroy them completely!' Were not such declarations made? Yet, when such threats were uttered, the oppressors fell, and the martyrs received their crowns.

Next, he turns to her, O daughter of Babylon, wretched one! Wretched in demeanor, in arrogance, in enmity; O miserable daughter of Babylon! (Psalm 135:8). The city is referred to as both Babylon and the daughter of Babylon, just as Jerusalem and the daughter of Jerusalem, Zion and the daughter of Zion, the Church and her progeny. The former is named for being the source, while the latter is deemed an heir. A previous Babylon existed; are its people still there? Because she inherits Babylon’s legacy, she is termed the daughter of Babylon. O daughter of Babylon, most miserable!

'Blessed is he who repays you as you have treated us.' What kind of recompense does he envision? The psalm concludes, 'Blessed is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the stones' (Psalm 135:9). The city is described as wretched, yet blessed is he who retaliates as she has acted towards us. We may inquire what this recompense signifies. It denotes retribution. For what has Babylon imposed upon us? We have previously sung in another psalm: 'The words of the wicked have overtaken us.' For upon our birth, the disorder of this world clouded our very existence as it enveloped us in the empty illusions of various deceptions.

The child, born to inherit the citizenship of Jerusalem, having received God’s foreordination, remains prisoner temporarily. When will he learn to cherish that which is rightful, apart from his parents’ misguided teachings? They instruct him in avarice, deceit, daily falsehoods, the worship of various idols and demons, the use of unlawful trinkets and charms. What can a child—an innocent soul observing the conduct of elders—do but emulate their deeds? Thus, Babylon once persecuted us in our infancy, though God later granted to us the wisdom of self-awareness, so that we might not replicate our parents' errors.

How is repayment rendered to her? It is as she has served us. May her offspring be silenced; let them be crushed and perish. What are the little ones of Babylon? They are the sinful desires birthed within. For the unrepentant must grapple with hardened cravings. When a lust emerges, before it gains the dominion of a habit over you, when the desire is still weak, do not allow it to develop into a stronghold. When it is still young, break it. Do not be afraid that if you break it, it may perish; break it upon the Rock, and that Rock is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Brethren, do not leave your instruments idle in your duties; sing to one another the songs of Zion. You have willingly heard; so much the sooner, do what you have heard, lest you become the willows of Babylon, fed by its streams, bearing no fruit. But long for the eternal Jerusalem; where your hope lies, there your life shall follow. In that place, we shall dwell with Christ. Christ is our Head; He presently governs us from on high; in that city, He shall conjoin us to Himself; we shall be as children of God. We would not dare to envision this if Truth itself had not assured it. Therefore, desire, brethren, these promises day and night meditate upon them.

Regardless of how brilliantly the world may shine around you, do not engage in negotiation with your longings. Is it a formidable adversary? Let it be vanquished upon the Rock. Is it a minor foe? Let it shatter against the Rock. Destroy the great within the strength of the Rock and break the small upon the Rock. Let the Rock prevail! Build your foundation upon the Rock if you wish not to be swept away by currents, winds, or rains. If you seek an armament against temptations in this world, let the longing for the eternal Jerusalem flourish and deepen within your hearts. Your captivity shall fade, your joy shall arise; the final adversary shall be vanquished, and we shall triumph alongside our King, free from death.

There are two reasons, as one interpreter notes, why the Jews refrained from singing before the Babylonians: first, it was not permitted to celebrate the Passover or other feasts outside of Jerusalem; second, had they sung about the miraculous acts of God in their deliverance from the Egyptians and other nations, the Babylonians would neither have believed them nor permitted the enslavement of the Jews. Even those who proclaim the Gospel to the deranged, according to another commentator, sing the Lord's song in an alien place since it is not nurtured by Christ. Those who have strayed from the Church should refrain from singing praises and instead lament their misfortunes. This perspective aligns with the idea expressed in the statement, "But God said to the sinner, 'Why do you recount my statutes?'” For those who have turned away from the Church must heed these words. Gregory the Theologian, alongside Chrysostom, posits that when we are taken into Babylon and engulfed in sinful vice, we are unable to sing the divine hymn as one would in a true homeland. As long as we remain enslaved to sin, which serves as the gravest foreign oppressor, we are forbidden from discussing anything divine, despite having instruments of praise, such as psalters. However, upon our return to virtue—as one returns to Jerusalem—having crafted within ourselves a renewed song and life, we shall then sing a new hymn, as noted by Nicetas. Theodoret remarks that this admonishes the lawless Jews who strive to observe the law and its precepts outside the divinely appointed places.

Who will trust our words now that we are in bondage?” The circumstances stripped them of their ability to express themselves freely, as they faced scorn for what they perceived as empty boasts, being challenged by their circumstances. Their situation echoes the sentiments of the three young men in the fiery furnace: they felt unable to vocalize their praises, unable to recall the historical affirmations and challenges faced by Your faithful ones (Dan. 3:33). Affliction has dampened their spirit. Thus, in the face of derision, they choose silence; their condition, having been subjugated and shamed, renders any chant of victory implausible.

Since God designated the land of Canaan as His exclusive inheritance, the Prophet rightly identifies the Jews as sojourners in foreign lands, always urging them to be prepared for their return. This reinforces Jeremiah's prophecy regarding the duration of their captivity, ensuring that they would never lose sight of their homeland. In the meantime, he equips the faithful with steadfastness and resilience, so they need not fear any threats and avoid mingling with the Chaldeans.