The writer of the Psalm is mourning the complete destruction of their holiest temple and city, Jerusalem, and the mass slaughter of their people. In their rage and sorrow after the death and destruction they have suffered, they wish the same upon those who inflicted it. This includes razing the Babylon empire to the ground (as the Babylonians did to Jerusalem) and the killing of their children (as the Babylonians did to their children).
It is a tough read, as the writer is clearly in distress, but this action is seen as just punishment by the writer and a fulfillment of the Prophecy in Isaiah 13:16. In addition the action was unfortunately common in the times of the Old Testament, as shown in Homers Iliad. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Thank you for the context. I feel like you could find similar sentiments today over less severe harms.
Honestly, that type of retaliation is happening right now by the descendants of those that wrote the Psalm. Goes to show we really haven’t progressed much in how we treat each other in 3000 years.
Much? Today there are people who say “you’re such an annoying cyclist, I’m going to roll coal to spite you”. We are no wiser at all, and we have a much greater potential for destruction. Humanity has regressed imo.
Dafaq, I wonder how many christians know about this, the bible is weird AF
From my limited experience, very few christians know (read) anything about the bible. I’ve talked to people who think it’s a “perfect book” to others that think “it’s the word of God, but man corrupted parts of it”, the latter never knowing which parts were “corrupted”.
there’s another passage where some prophet was walking along and got taunted by some kids for being bald. then he cursed them and some bears mauled them to death.
The Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Tenakh are basically the same book. “Useful Charts” has a great 7 part series about who wrote the Bible that I found fascinating as a non-believer. The book has so much influence over today’s society that I think it’s good to understand more about it even if isn’t spiritually significant to you.
The writer of the Psalm is mourning the complete destruction of their holiest temple and city, Jerusalem, and the mass slaughter of their people. In their rage and sorrow after the death and destruction they have suffered, they wish the same upon those who inflicted it. This includes razing the Babylon empire to the ground (as the Babylonians did to Jerusalem) and the killing of their children (as the Babylonians did to their children).
It is a tough read, as the writer is clearly in distress, but this action is seen as just punishment by the writer and a fulfillment of the Prophecy in Isaiah 13:16. In addition the action was unfortunately common in the times of the Old Testament, as shown in Homers Iliad. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Thank you for the context. I feel like you could find similar sentiments today over less severe harms.
Honestly, that type of retaliation is happening right now by the descendants of those that wrote the Psalm. Goes to show we really haven’t progressed much in how we treat each other in 3000 years.
Much? Today there are people who say “you’re such an annoying cyclist, I’m going to roll coal to spite you”. We are no wiser at all, and we have a much greater potential for destruction. Humanity has regressed imo.
Babylon has the right to defend itself.
Dafaq, I wonder how many christians know about this, the bible is weird AF
Edit: I searched about psalms and it’s somehow followed both by jews and christians?!
From my limited experience, very few christians know (read) anything about the bible. I’ve talked to people who think it’s a “perfect book” to others that think “it’s the word of God, but man corrupted parts of it”, the latter never knowing which parts were “corrupted”.
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there’s another passage where some prophet was walking along and got taunted by some kids for being bald. then he cursed them and some bears mauled them to death.
I think that’s the bit from 2 Kings
The Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Tenakh are basically the same book. “Useful Charts” has a great 7 part series about who wrote the Bible that I found fascinating as a non-believer. The book has so much influence over today’s society that I think it’s good to understand more about it even if isn’t spiritually significant to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY-l0X7yGY0
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https://www.piped.video/watch?v=NY-l0X7yGY0
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
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