Psalms 137:9. I heard religious people take great comfort in reading from the Book of Psalms.
2006-09-11 20:27:06 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
OK...YOU GUYS EXPLAINED IT TO ME PRETTY WELL... IT'S OKAY IF IT IS YOUR ENEMIES' BABIES. COOL.
2006-09-11 20:41:30 · update #1
babies are soooooooo much FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2006-09-11 20:28:46 · answer #1 · answered by whynotaskclown 1 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Hmm, all I know is that Sublime incorporated Psalm 137 in a song, but I never heard that verse...
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I think it's metaphorical. If you read the whole psalm, it's about the people who were enslaved being told to sing their songs about God to their enemies. That's basically rubbing salt in their wounds. The end talks about bringing the tyranny to end and "shattering" the ideology of future generations of enemies.
2006-09-11 20:32:25 · answer #2 · answered by meKrystle 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The Psalmist was very angry and hurt when he wrote this Psalm. It was written after the Hebrews were taken from Jerusalem and enslaved by the Babylonians.
The Church understands this Psalm to have a metaphorical meaning which says that the fruits of evil should be destroyed by those who follow good.
2006-09-11 20:38:09 · answer #3 · answered by Dysthymia 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Selective quotations without the full understading of what you are quoting is IGNORANCE...larry.
Psalms
Chapter 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat mourning and weeping when we remembered Zion.
2 On the poplars of that land we hung up our harps.
3 There our captors asked us for the words of a song; Our tormentors, for a joyful song: "Sing for us a song of Zion!"
4 But how could we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither.
6 May my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem beyond all my delights.
7 Remember, LORD, against Edom that day at Jerusalem. They said: "Level it, level it down to its foundations!"
8 Fair Babylon, you destroyer, happy those who pay you back the evil you have done us!
9 Happy those who seize your children and smash them against a rock.
Footnotes
1 [Psalm 137] A temple singer refuses to sing the people's sacred songs in an alien land despite demands from Babylonian captors (Psalm 137:1-4). The singer swears an oath by what is most dear to a musician--hands and tongue--to exalt Jerusalem always (Psalm 137:5-6). The psalm ends with a prayer that the old enemies of Jerusalem, Edom and Babylon, be destroyed (Psalm 137:7-9).
2 [2] Poplars: sometimes incorrectly translated "willow." The Euphrates poplar is a high tree common on riverbanks in the Orient.
3 [9] Happy those who seize your children and smash them against a rock: the infants represent the future generations, and so must be destroyed if the enemy is truly to be eradicated.
2006-09-11 20:30:10 · answer #4 · answered by Adyghe Ha'Yapheh-Phiyah 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Not that you would care, but the quote is the second half of a curse upon Babylon. Babylon fought wars in the same manner as the Assyrians... brutal, even compared to the other savage countries. Women and children were not spared, and entire countries were uprooted and brought to Babylon to be slaves. Judah was one of those countries.
Read all of Psalm 139. It is beautiful, and explains God better than most Christians could in an hour.
2006-09-11 20:37:34 · answer #5 · answered by marklin1972 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Read it all. It is the equivalent of a captured warrior who is being tortured saying to Lets say an alquiada (sp) operative who is making life really hard that the captured warrior would say to the capturer I hope some one bombs your home and your babies die. What you should notice here is that this was not edited out to make the author seem super human.
2006-09-11 20:39:22 · answer #6 · answered by icheeknows 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It was part of an angry song against captors sung by people who could be just as brutal given half the chance. If you're going to highlight Biblical atrocities for Christians, at least get the context right...
2006-09-11 20:35:47 · answer #7 · answered by Scott M 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Never heard such issue.......may be it's a blessing for the unfortunate children / parents ?
2006-09-11 20:35:00 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Higher critic again ....YOU DONT know what your talking about can you follow the subject/object of any book?All higher critics lose this art while trying to
read mysteries of the bible
2006-09-11 20:32:11 · answer #9 · answered by jas3tm 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
child abuse?
2006-09-11 20:31:13 · answer #10 · answered by Cartman 5 · 2⤊ 3⤋