When Vengeance Overtakes Mourning: Alternative Reactions to Loss in Psalm 137

Psalm 137 gives voice to two dominant emotions, mourning and vengeance, in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem. Articulated through idioms, metaphors, and rituals, these emotions operate on both the collective and individual levels. The study combines an exploration of the text’s historical and literary development with a psychological perspective, arguing that the dependence between the emotions reflected in the psalm is not inevitable but that they represent alternative responses to catastrophe, each leading toward a different path of recovery.