Psalms 137:4

English Revised Version

How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
How can we sing the Lord’s songon foreign soil?

Hebrew Names Version
How can we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?

King James Version
How shall we sing the Lord 's song in a strange land?

English Standard Version
How shall we sing the Lord 's song in a foreign land?

New Century Version
But we cannot sing songs about the Lord while we are in this foreign country!

New English Translation
How can we sing a song to the Lord in a foreign land?

Amplified Bible
How can we sing the LORD'S song In a strange and foreign land?

New American Standard Bible
How can we sing the LORD'S song In a foreign land?

World English Bible
How can we sing Yahweh's song in a foreign land?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Howe shall we sing, said we, a song of the Lord in a strange land?

Legacy Standard Bible
How can we sing a song of YahwehIn a foreign land?

Berean Standard Bible
How can we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land?

Contemporary English Version
Here in a foreign land, how can we sing about the Lord ?

Complete Jewish Bible
How can we sing a song about Adonai here on foreign soil?

Darby Translation
How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil?

Easy-to-Read Version
But we cannot sing the Lord 's songs in a foreign country!

George Lamsa Translation
How shall we sing the LORDS song in a strange land?

Good News Translation
How can we sing a song to the Lord in a foreign land?

Lexham English Bible
How could we sing the song of Yahweh in a foreign land?

Literal Translation
How shall we sing the song of Jehovah on a foreign soil?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How shal we synge the LORDES songe in a strauge lode?

American Standard Version
How shall we sing Jehovah's song In a foreign land?

Bible in Basic English
How may we give the Lord's song in a strange land?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?

King James Version (1611)
How shall we sing the Lords song: in a strange land?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
[He aunswered] howe can we sing one of the songes of God: in another lande besides our owne?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
How should we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Hou schulen we singe a songe of the Lord; in an alien lond?

Update Bible Version
How shall we sing Yahweh's song In a foreign land?

Webster's Bible Translation
How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?

New King James Version
How shall we sing the LORD's song In a foreign land?

New Living Translation
But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?

New Life Bible
How can we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?

New Revised Standard
How could we sing the Lord 's song in a foreign land?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How shall we sing the song of Yahweh, on a foreign soil?

Douay-Rheims Bible
(136-4) How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?

Revised Standard Version
How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?

Young's Literal Translation
How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?

THE MESSAGE
Oh, how could we ever sing God 's song in this wasteland? If I ever forget you, Jerusalem, let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves. Let my tongue swell and turn black if I fail to remember you, If I fail, O dear Jerusalem, to honor you as my greatest.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
How can we sing the Lord's song In a foreign land?

Contextual Overview

¹ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. ² Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps. ³ For there they that led us captive required of us songs, and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. ⁴ How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land? ⁵ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. ⁶ Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

How shall: Ecclesiastes 3:4, Isaiah 22:12, Lamentations 5:14, Lamentations 5:15, Hosea 9:4, Amos 8:3

strange land: Heb. land of a stranger, Isaiah 49:21

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 4:13 - his heart 2 Chronicles 29:27 - the song Proverbs 25:20 - so Isaiah 26:1 - in the land Lamentations 1:7 - the adversaries

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?] This is the answer returned by the Jews to the above request or demand; it may be, particularly, by the Levites, whose business it was to sing these songs: so the Targum,

"immediately the Levites said, how shall we sing the hymns of the Lord in a strange land?''

This they said, not merely on account of their unsuitable circumstances, being in distress and affliction, and so not disposed for such work; nor as if unlawful to them, being forbidden: for, though sacrifices were not to be offered but at Jerusalem, yet songs of praise might be sung elsewhere, on proper occasions, as David did,

Psalms 18:49; but as wondering at their insolence, and complaining of their cruelty and inhumanity, thus to insult them and jeer at them: or rather, because it was "the Lord's song" they required, and so sacred, and not to be sung in any place, or at any time, and in any company; which would be but casting pearls before swine, and giving that which was holy to dogs, Matthew 7:6; or it may be they required this to be done in one of their temples, and to their idols, just as these songs were sung in the temple at Jerusalem, and to the honour of Jehovah; and therefore they refused to do it: for it may be rendered, or however interpreted, "in the land of a strange god" c; as it is by Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech: they required them to sing with mirth and joy, which they could not do in their present case; see Psalms 137:2.

c על אדמת נכר "in terra peregina, sc. Dei", Muis, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How shall we sing the Lord’s song - The song designed to celebrate his praise; that is, appropriate to the worship of Yahweh.

In a strange land - Far from our home; far from the temple; exiles; captives: how can we find spirit in such circumstances to sing? How can we do that which would be indicative of what we do not feel, and cannot feel - joy and happiness! The idea is not that those psalms or songs would be profaned by being sung there, or that there would be anything improper in itself in singing them, but that it would be misplaced and incongruous to sing them in their circumstances. It would be doing violence to their own feelings; their feelings would not allow them to do it. There are states of mind when the language of joy is appropriate and natural; there are states where the heart is so sad that it cannot sing.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 137:4. How shall we sing the Lord's song — איך נשיר eich! nashir; O, we sing! Who does not hear the deep sigh in the strongly guttural sound of the original איך eich! wrung, as it were, from the bottom of the heart? Can WE, in this state of slavery, - WE, exiles, from our country, - WE, stripped of all our property, - WE, reduced to contempt by our strong enemy, - WE, deprived of our religious privileges, - WE, insulted by our oppressors, - WE, in the land of heathens, - WE sing, or be mirthful in these circumstances? No: God does not expect it; man should not wish it; and it is base in our enemies to require it.