مزامير 137:3

کتاب مقدس

3 زیرا آنانی که ما را به اسیری برده بودند، در آنجا از ما سرود خواستند؛ و آنانی که ما را تاراج کرده بودند، شادمانی [خواستند] که یکی از سرودهای صهیون را برای ما بسرایید.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

For there: Psalms 123:3, Psalms 123:4, Lamentations 2:15, Lamentations 2:16

a song: Heb. the words of a song

wasted us: Heb. laid us on heaps, Psalms 79:1, Nehemiah 4:2, Jeremiah 9:11, Jeremiah 26:18, Micah 3:12, Luke 21:6

the songs of Zion: Psalms 9:14, Psalms 65:1, 1 Chronicles 15:27, 1 Chronicles 16:7, Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 51:11, Jeremiah 31:12, Jeremiah 31:13, Revelation 14:1-3

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 29:27 - the song Proverbs 25:20 - so Isaiah 26:1 - in the land Jeremiah 8:21 - the hurt Lamentations 1:7 - the adversaries Lamentations 3:14 - General Zephaniah 3:18 - sorrowful

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song,.... Or, "words of a song" z. To repeat the words of one of the songs of Zion, as it is afterwards expressed: this the Babylonians did, as the Targum; who were they that carried the Jews into captivity; and this is given as a reason why they hung their harps on willows, and were so sorrowful, because such a request as this was made;

and they that wasted us [required of us] mirth: the Chaldeans, who plundered them of their substance, and reduced their city and temple to heaps of rubbish, as the word a used signifies; or who heaped reproaches upon them, as Jarchi: these insisted not only on having the words of a song repeated to them, but that they should be set to some tune and sung in a manner expressing mirth, or would provoke unto it: or "our lamentations", according to Kimchi; that is, the authors of them b, so barbarous were they;

[saying], sing us [one] of the songs of Zion; which used to be sung in Zion in the temple, called the songs of the temple, Amos 8:3; this demand they made either out of curiosity, that they might know something of the temple songs and music they had heard of; or rather as jeering at and insulting the poor Jews in their miserable and melancholy circumstances; as if they had said, now sing your songs if you can: or in order to make themselves sport and diversion with them, as the Philistines with Samson. The spiritual songs of Zion are the songs of electing, redeeming, calling, pardoning, and justifying grace; which natural men neither understand, nor can learn, but scoff at and despise.

z דברי שיר "verba cantici", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "verba earminis", Cocceius. a תוללינו "qui veluti in acervos nos redegerunt", Tigurine version, Grotius. b Vid. Stockium, p. 447.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For there they that carried us away captive - The Babylonians.

Required of us a song - Asked of us a song. The word does not express the idea of compulsion or force. Margin, as in Hebrew, words of a song. Perhaps the idea is that they did not merely ask music, but they wished to hear the words - the songs themselves - in which they were accustomed to praise God. This may have been a taunt, and the request may have been in derision; or it may have been seriously, and with no desire to reproach them, or to add to their sorrows. We are not to impute bad motives to others where there is no evidence that there are any, and where the supposition of good motives will answer just as well; and the expression here may have been a kind and natural wish to hear the songs of these foreigners - songs of which they might have heard much by report; perhaps songs which they had overheard them singing when they were in a less desponding state of mind, and when they sought to comfort themselves by these ancient national melodies. As the only reason assigned for not complying with this request was that they could not “sing the Lord’s song in a strange land” Psalms 137:3, we are rather led to infer that there was no bad motive - no disposition to taunt and ridicule them by the request that was made.

And they that wasted us - Margin, laid us on heaps. The Hebrew word means a tormentor; properly, one who extorts lamentation from others, or who causes them to howl - to wit, under oppression or wrong. The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate render it, “They who led us away.” The general idea is, those under whom they were then suffering; or, who had caused these trials to come upon them.

Required of us mirth - literally, “Our tormentors, joy.” The Hebrew word means joy; and the sense is, that they asked them to give the usual indications of joy and happiness - to wit, a song. The language means, “Cheer up; be happy; give us one of the beautiful songs which you were accustomed to sing in your own land.” It may, indeed, have been in derision; but there is no proof that it was.

Saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion - The songs - the sacred hymns - which you were accustomed to sing in worship in your own land.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 137:3. They that carried us away captive required of us a song — This was as unreasonable as it was insulting. How could they who had reduced us to slavery, and dragged us in chains from our own beautiful land and privileges, expect us to sing a sacred ode to please them, who were enemies both to us and to our God? And how could those who wasted us expect mirth from people in captivity, deprived of all their possessions, and in the most abject state of poverty and oppression?