Exploring Psalm 137 through the lens of affect

This article aims to employ affect theory as a lens to read Psalm 137. It argues that the Psalm is an artistic articulation framed in human emotion. This ancient Israelite literary composition that evokes human emotion is ranked as a Locus Classicus poem and has been noted by scholars of Old Testament as one of the most complex and fascinating Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures. Psalm 137 is a historic poem that recounts Israel’s mournful destruction of the magnificent temple of God in Jerusalem and the grief of shameful humiliation of the Babylonian captivity. The literary unit reveals the sufferings and sentiments of people who witnessed at first hand a tragic event of Jerusalem temple in 587 BCE. This pericope celebrates the poignancy of the poet and the religious community of Israel’s refusal to their tormentors’ request for a Zion song in a foreign land as they grief for the devastation of Jerusalem temple.