Today’s question is: What does Psalm 137:9 mean when it says,
“Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks”?
In this video I’ll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards,
as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.
Psalm 137:9 is found in one of the Imprecatory Psalms (or Precatory Psalms) that speak of
violence against the enemies of God. That verse reads, “Happy is the one who seizes
your infants / and dashes them against the rocks.” To “imprecate” means to “pray evil
against,” and the imprecatory prayers in the Bible strike people today as strange or wrong.
It is important to understand the context of this verse and others like it. The background
is the Jewish people calling upon God to exact revenge upon their military enemies.
Psalm 137 is in the context of the Jewish exile in Babylon where they had been taken
as slaves after the Babylonians burned down the city of Jerusalem. The Jews in
exile were then told to “sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (Psalm 137:1),
adding further humiliation and frustration to a defeated people.
The psalmist recalls both the disgraces of the Edomites (who looted Jerusalem) and the
Babylonians who destroyed their capital city. He comes to two conclusions to end the psalm. First,
he says, “Happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to
us” (Psalm 137:8). This cry for revenge desired the destruction of their enemies.
Then in verse 9, the psalmist adds further detail to this cry for revenge, claiming,
“Happy is the one” who kills the infants of their enemy. The desire is graphically stated,
but it is simply a call for the destruction of the entire nation—the nation that had enslaved
the Jews, killed their babies, and destroyed their city. The destruction of Babylon was expressly
foretold in Isaiah 13:16, and by referencing that prediction, the psalmist may mean to say that the
men who were God’s instruments in carrying out that prophecy would be happy in doing His will.
If we keep in mind that the psalms are songs that express intense emotions, a statement such
as “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks” should not
shock us. The writer did not intend to go out and kill babies; rather, he desired justice,
which required the death of his enemies. Even today, those who have lost loved ones
at the hands of others understandably desire the death of those who committed the crime.
We must be careful to interpret Psalm 137 in its historical context and apply it appropriately in
connection with the full counsel of Scripture. It is a normal human desire to see justice done
and for enemies to be defeated. However, Romans 12:17–19 commands, “Do not repay anyone evil
for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave
room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
Psalm 137 is not a selfish prayer for personal revenge. It is a plea for God
to intervene in the affairs of men to keep His covenant and right all wrongs.
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