Psalms 137:7

My Notes

What Does Psalms 137:7 Mean?

Psalm 137:7 shifts from grief to imprecation as the exiled psalmist turns from weeping over Jerusalem to demanding God's attention toward Edom: "Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof."

The Edomites — descendants of Esau, Israel's brother — didn't just stand by during Jerusalem's destruction. They cheered. They urged the Babylonians on: "Rase it, rase it" — aru, aru — strip it bare, lay it naked, tear it down to the foundation. The word carries the image of stripping clothes from a body — exposing, humiliating, leaving nothing covered.

The betrayal is amplified by the family connection. Edom and Israel were brothers — the descendants of Jacob and Esau. When Jerusalem fell, Israel's own kin celebrated. Obadiah 1:10-14 catalogs Edom's sins on that day: they gloated, looted, and cut off escapees. The psalmist doesn't ask God to punish Edom directly. He asks God to remember. In Hebrew, zakar — remember — when directed at God means to bring something to active attention, to act on it. "Remember Edom" means: don't let this go. Record it. Address it. They cheered while our city burned, and we need You to know we haven't forgotten.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Is there an 'Edom' in your life — someone who should have mourned with you but celebrated instead? Have you brought that to God?
• 2.What's the difference between asking God to remember an injustice and harboring personal bitterness? How do you navigate that line?
• 3.The Edomites were family. Why does betrayal from those closest to us wound so much deeper than betrayal from strangers?
• 4.The psalmist asks God to 'remember' — to not let it go. Is there something you've been trying to forget that you actually need to hand over to God's memory instead?

Devotional

Betrayal from a stranger is painful. Betrayal from family is devastating. And Edom was family.

When Jerusalem fell — when the smoke rose and the walls crumbled and the temple burned — Edom didn't mourn. They cheered. They shouted encouragement to the destroyers: tear it down further! Strip it bare! Don't leave the foundation standing! Israel's own brother celebrated the worst day of their history.

If you've been betrayed by someone who should have been on your side — a family member who rejoiced in your failure, a friend who encouraged your downfall, someone close enough to know where it would hurt most — this verse gives voice to that specific wound. The psalmist doesn't swallow the pain. He brings it directly to God: remember this. Don't let it be forgotten. What they did on our worst day — record it.

The prayer isn't for personal revenge. It's for divine memory. "Remember, O LORD" — that's the cry of someone who knows they can't make it right themselves but who refuses to pretend it didn't happen. There are wounds too deep for human courts and too specific for generic forgiveness. They need to be brought to the One who keeps perfect records and settles accounts on His own timeline.

If there's an Edom in your life — someone who cheered while your world burned — you don't have to pretend it's okay. You can bring the memory to God and say: remember. You saw what they did. I'm leaving it with You.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture