Read
Psalm 137:1
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Notice
Babylon’s rivers mark the place of captivity, where remembering Zion brings tears and the distance from home becomes more than a matter of miles.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What place comes to mind when you read of the captives remembering Zion?
Write on thisWhat do you notice about the captives sitting down together to weep?
Write on thisWhen has remembering a place brought you sorrow rather than relief?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 126:5Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.Tears appear in both psalms; Psalm 126 promises joy ahead, while Psalm 137:1 records the sorrow of remembering Zion.
Nehemiah 1:4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,Both passages describe sitting down and weeping, giving grief a visible posture before any further action.
Ezekiel 1:1Now in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I …Both scenes take place among captives beside a river, though Ezekiel records visions of God and the psalm records tears.
Ezekiel 3:15Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv who lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.Ezekiel sits overwhelmed among captives by the Chebar, while the psalm’s captives sit weeping by Babylon’s rivers.
Lamentations 3:48My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.Both passages express grief through tears, with Lamentations naming the destruction of the speaker’s people as the cause.
Ezekiel 1:3the LORD’s word came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the LORD’s hand was there on him.Both passages have riverside settings in Babylonian territory; Ezekiel names the Chebar, while the psalm names Babylon’s rivers.
Lamentations 2:18Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief. Don’t let your eyes rest.Zion and tears join these passages: the captives weep at its memory, and Lamentations urges tears like a river.
Lamentations 2:10–11The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground. They keep silence. They have cast up dust on their heads. They have clothed themselves with sackcloth. …Both passages portray seated mourners connected to Zion, with tears in the psalm and silence and sackcloth in Lamentations.
Ezra 8:15I gathered them together to the river that runs to Ahava; and there we encamped three days. Then I looked around at the people and the priests, and found there …Both describe a group stopping beside a river, though Ezra records an encampment and the psalm records grief in captivity.
Jeremiah 51:50–51You who have escaped the sword, go! Don’t stand still! Remember the LORD from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.”Remembering Zion in Babylon shares a thread with Jeremiah’s command to let Jerusalem come to mind from far away.
Ezra 8:21Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us, for our little ones, …Both have a communal riverside setting, though Ezra describes fasting and seeking God’s guidance rather than weeping over Zion.
Job 2:12–13When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and didn’t recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust …Both passages show people weeping together, the captives remembering Zion and Job’s friends responding to the sight of him.
Where this verse fits
Grief. loneliness.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
There is room in God’s Word for grief that has no resolution in the moment. These captives remember Zion, and their remembrance is marked by tears.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).