Nehemiah 1:3-4 Context for Psalm 137:1
Psalm 137:1 states, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion" (KJV). This verse, and the psalm as a whole, reflects the deep sorrow and longing of the Jewish exiles during their captivity in Babylon [5, 6, 7]. The historical context places this psalm after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the subsequent deportation of many Jews to Babylon, as described in books like Nehemiah [6, 7].
The book of Nehemiah provides significant insight into the conditions and feelings of the Jewish people during and after this exile. Nehemiah 1:3-4 describes Nehemiah's reaction upon hearing news from Jerusalem: "And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" (KJV).
The parallels between Nehemiah's lament and Psalm 137:1 are striking. Both passages depict individuals "sitting down" and "weeping" in response to the desolation of Zion/Jerusalem [2]. Nehemiah's grief is triggered by the news of Jerusalem's broken walls and burned gates, signifying its vulnerability and disgrace [3]. Similarly, the exiles by the rivers of Babylon weep as they remember Zion, their holy city, now in ruins and far from them [5]. The "affliction and reproach" mentioned in Nehemiah 1:3 resonates with the taunts of their captors in Psalm 137:3, who demanded songs of Zion from the grieving exiles [1, 2].
The emotional response of weeping, mourning, and fasting seen in Nehemiah 1:4 is a direct consequence of the news about Jerusalem's state [4, 8]. This profound sorrow over the destruction of the holy city and the Temple is a recurring theme in post-exilic literature, including Lamentations and other psalms [2]. The memory of Zion, once a source of joy and worship, becomes a source of deep pain and lament during the exile [5]. John Calvin, in his Institutes, references Nehemiah 1:4 in discussions of prayer and God's providence, highlighting the earnest supplication that arises from such distress [8]. Augustine also touches on the theme of remembering God's ancient compassions in times of reproach, which aligns with the longing for restoration expressed by the exiles [9].
Sources
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Psalms 137:3 cross-references: 1 Chronicles 15:27, 1 Chronicles 16:7, Nehemiah 4:2, Psalms 9:14, Psalms 65:1, Psalms 79:1, Psalms 80:6, Psalms 123:3, Proverbs 25:20, Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 51:11, Jeremiah 9:11, Jeremiah 26:18, Jeremiah 31:12, Lamentations 2:15, Micah 3:12, Luke 21:6, Revelation 14:1”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Psalms 137:1 cross-references: Genesis 2:10, Ezra 8:21, Ezra 8:31, Nehemiah 1:3, Nehemiah 2:3, Job 2:12, Psalms 42:4, Psalms 102:9, Isaiah 66:10, Jeremiah 8:19, Jeremiah 13:4, Jeremiah 13:17, Jeremiah 15:17, Jeremiah 51:13, Jeremiah 51:50, Lamentations 1:16, Lamentations 2:10, Lamentations 2:18, Lamentations 3:48, Lamentations 3:51, Ezekiel 1:1, Ezekiel 1:3, Ezekiel 3:15, Daniel 9:3, Daniel 10:2, Luke 19:41, Revelation 11:3”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “1 Samuel 4:13 cross-references: Joshua 7:9, 1 Samuel 1:9, 1 Samuel 4:18, Nehemiah 1:3, Psalms 26:8, Psalms 79:1, Psalms 137:4”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Psalms 136:26 cross-references: Nehemiah 1:4, Nehemiah 2:4, Psalms 115:3, Psalms 123:1, Psalms 136:1, Daniel 2:18, Jonah 1:9, Revelation 11:13”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 137:1: Ps 137 In response to the pain of exile (137:1-4), the psalmist resolves to remember Jerusalem even though the memories cause him pain (137:4-6). He also writes an astounding imprecation, or prayer for vengeance (137:7-9).”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 137 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 137 The occasion of this psalm was the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, and the treatment they met with there; either as foreseen, or as now endured. Aben Ezra ascribes this psalm to David; and so the Syriac version, which calls it, "a psalm of David; the words of the saints, who were carried captive into Babylon.'' The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions, make it to be David's, and yet add the name of Jeremiah; and the Arabic version calls it David's, concerning Jeremiah: but, as Theodoret observes, Jeremiah was”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 137 (introduction): There are divers psalms which are thought to have been penned in the latter days of the Jewish church, when prophecy was near expiring and the canon of the Old Testament ready to be closed up, but none of them appears so plainly to be of a late date as this, which was penned when the people of God were captives in Babylon, and there insulted over by these proud oppressors; probably it was towards the latter end of their captivity; for now they saw the destruction of Babylon hastening on apace (Psa 137:8), which would be their discharge. It is a mourn”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 2 Kings 1:12 5:17-19 5:31 6:17 6:17 8:19 10:10 16:10 16:17 17:24-34 19:4 19:35 20:2 20:3 20:9 20:11 20:15 22:1 22:3-4 22:8 22:20 23:16 2 Chronicles 19:6-7 19:6-7 34:15 Ezra 8:21 Nehemiah 1:4 1:5 1:6-7 9:14 Esther 4:16 Job 1:6 1:21 4:17-20 4:18 4:19 5:17 9:2-3 9:3 9:4 9:20 10:15 12:18 12:20 12:24 13:15 14:4 14:5 14:5 14:17 15:15-16 18:17 19:25-27 19:25-27 21:13 26:14 28:21 28:28 28:28 34:30 41:11 110 Psalms 1 1:1 1:2 2:2-4 2:8 2:9 2:9 2:10 2:12 2:12 3 3:5 5:3 5:7 5:7 6:1 7:6 7:9 8:2 8:3 8:4 8:4 9:10 12:2 12:6 14:1 14:3 14:53 15:1-2”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 12.--TO WHOSE PERSON THE ENTREATY FOR THE PROMISES IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD TO BELONG, WHEN HE SAYS IN THE PSALM, "WHERE ARE THINE ANCIENT COMPASSIONS, LORD?" ETC. (part 2): not despairingly, but as asking, seeking, knocking,(7) "Where are Thine ancient compassions, Lord, which Thou swarest unto David in Thy truth? Remember, Lord, the reproach of Thy servants, that I have borne in my bosom of many nations;" that is, have patiently endured in my inward parts. "That Thine enemies have reproached, O Lord, wherewith they have reproached t”