Psalm 137

EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's the psalm we talk about on the latest Revolution 21 podcast -- the one that's the basis of the Melodians' (not to mention Boney M's) "Rivers of Babylon."

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
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.
4 How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.


WELL, NOW. When you get to Verses 8 and 9, it certainly does sound like things haven't changed much in the Middle East in the past 3,000 years.

So, what do we make of those troubling (from a Christian perspective) final verses? I'm supposing that it all depends on how you read them.

I think you could read them very differently if, as some have contended throughout history, King David wrote all of the psalms, including this one -- hundreds of years before the Babylonian captivity. That would make it prophetic (as was Psalm 22, foretelling the passion of Jesus Christ, the Messiah), and I think you read it very differently then -- this is how people are going to react, rather than "I'm a goin' to kill pagan babies, and that's a good thing."

Or maybe it's just a straight recounting of how the captives genuinely (and fallenly) felt in their enslaved heart of hearts. The "human condition," in other words.

Whadda you think? Anyone know of a good Catholic commentary on this beautiful AND troubling psalm?