Question 1

What is the main request made to Yahweh in Psalm 137:7, and what does it assume about God’s awareness?

Accepted Answer

The main request is that Yahweh would “remember… against the children of Edom” what happened “the day of Jerusalem.” The verse assumes God is not being informed of new facts, but is being asked to hold a specific wrongdoing in mind and treat it as significant. “Remember” here functions like a plea for lasting moral attention: Edom’s stance during Jerusalem’s catastrophe should not fade into the past as though it did not matter. The wording also shows the speaker believes God engages with history and can evaluate human actions, including spoken encouragement toward destruction.

Question 2

How does the phrase “the day of Jerusalem” shape the meaning of the accusation?

Accepted Answer

“The day of Jerusalem” anchors the complaint to a particular crisis when Jerusalem was overrun and devastated. It frames the issue as a public, historical disaster rather than a personal dispute. The phrase suggests a moment when loyalties were revealed: Edom’s response is remembered precisely because it occurred at Jerusalem’s most vulnerable time. This timing makes Edom’s words feel like betrayal, not neutral commentary. The verse’s logic depends on that setting: the chant “Raze it!” is not abstract hatred but speech spoken into a real catastrophe with real victims.

Question 3

What exactly does the psalm report that Edom’s people said, and why is the repetition important?

Accepted Answer

The psalm reports a shouted command: “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!” The repetition portrays intensity and urgency, like a crowd chant calling for escalation. It also emphasizes persistence—this was not a passing remark but a forceful demand. The second line clarifies what “raze” means: not limited damage, but stripping the city down completely, “even to its foundation.” In the poem, that remembered speech becomes the evidence for the appeal to God. The verse is built around preserving these words as part of the record of wrongdoing.

Question 4

In what ways can “children/sons of Edom” be understood from the wording of the verse?

Accepted Answer

The phrase can be heard in more than one scope while staying close to the text. It may refer broadly to the Edomite people as a collective group acting and speaking during Jerusalem’s fall. It can also be understood more narrowly as those Edomites who were actually present or influential—such as leaders or participants—whose shouted encouragement is being remembered. The verse itself does not specify ranks or offices; it uses a people-group label and then quotes speech. So the wording supports a corporate accusation, while leaving open whether every Edomite individual is being blamed.

Question 5

How does verse 7 continue Psalm 137’s theme of “remembering” from the earlier lines?

Accepted Answer

Earlier in Psalm 137, remembering is tied to the exiles’ refusal to forget Zion and Jerusalem, treating memory as a form of loyalty. Verse 7 keeps “remembering” at the center but shifts the object: instead of the speaker remembering Jerusalem, the speaker asks Yahweh to remember Edom’s words on Jerusalem’s disastrous day. This creates a contrast: the community’s memory holds onto Zion, while God’s memory is invoked to hold onto the wrongdoing done against Zion. The verse thus links grief, historical recollection, and appeal for moral accounting in a single movement.

Question 6

What does the wording “remember… against” contribute to the tone of the verse, even if the outcome is not specified?

Accepted Answer

“Remember… against” gives the appeal an adversarial tone: the memory is not neutral, but weighs against Edom. Even without stating the next step, the phrase frames Edom’s chant as culpable and places it under God’s notice as something that should count in God’s response to events. The verse does not describe punishment directly, but it does more than request empathy; it asks for God to treat Edom’s role as a meaningful factor. The remembered speech functions like an accusation presented before the divine judge of history.

Psalms 137:7

Scripture