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August 19, 2025

Psalm 137 and Its Contribution to Book V of the Psalter

Key Points

Psalm 137 stands as a vivid reminder of the people's experience of oppression under foreign empires, affecting its placement in the Psalter.
The psalm's graphic call for violence contrasts sharply with the overall theme of praise found in Book V, suggesting deeper thematic layers.
This article proposes a new understanding of how Psalm 137 contributes to the narrative structure of Book V, rather than simply undermining it.
The question of how to worship in a foreign land encapsulates the tension between despair and hope that characterizes the lives of the deported people.

Abstract

Abstract Psalm 137 is a notoriously difficult psalm to situate in Book V of the Psalter. Its graphic call for the death of Babylonian children (Ps. 137:9) stands in sharp contrast to the Psalter’s move towards praise exemplified by much of Book V. Scholars who work on the shape and shaping of the Psalter do not agree on how the psalm fits within its surrounding context or what contribution it makes to the Psalter’s proposed narrative structure. This article proposes a different way to think about Psalm 137’s contribution to Book V of the Psalter. Rather than assuming Psalm 137 undermines Book V’s move towards praise, its awkward fit serves as a gravitational point with which the people must grapple. Psalm 137 stands out in this book as the most vivid reminder of the people’s lived experience under the oppression of foreign empires. Thus, the deportees’ question hovers just below the surface of Book V’s emphasis on praise: ‘How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’ (Ps. 137:4). The answer lies in God’s past acts of deliverance and the hope of his faithfulness in the future.

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