O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us.
Parallel translations
- WEB Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, he will be happy who rewards you, as you have served us.
- KJV O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
- NKJV O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
- NASB Daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, Blessed will be one who repays you With the retribution with which you have repaid us.
- NLT O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Babylon, doomed to destruction, will be repaid for what it did to God's people.
Overview
The psalm pronounces Babylon's coming downfall, declaring that its violence will be returned upon it. This reflects the biblical principle of just retribution, that oppressors will answer for their cruelty. The fall of Babylon becomes a symbol in Scripture of God's final judgment on all that exalts itself against Him, accomplished through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Rev 18:6Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.
- Isa 14:4–24you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!
- Jer 25:12–14But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.
- Rev 14:8–11Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
- Isa 47:1–15“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of Chaldea! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate.
- Isa 21:1This is the burden against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
- Isa 13:1–22This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
- Isa 44:28who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”
- Ps 149:6–9May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,
- Jer 50:1This is the word that the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans:
- Rev 17:1–18Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
- Zech 2:7“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
- Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 137:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.