O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
Parallel translations
- WEB Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, he will be happy who rewards you, as you have served us.
- BSB O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to 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 18:6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
- Isa 14:4–24That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
- Jer 25:12–14And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
- Rev 14:8–11And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
- Isa 47:1–15Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
- Isa 21:1The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
- Isa 13:1–22The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
- Isa 44:28That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
- Ps 149:6–9Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
- Jer 50:1The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
- Rev 17:1–18And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
- Zech 2:7Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
- Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.