Megan Judge

Judge 1

Mrs. Hope
English LPS
9 November 2015
Analysis of Authors Craft
The Psalms is a biblical book used in both Christian and Jewish worship. Psalms 137 was
written while the Jews were taken captive by the Babylonians in 597-538 BCE. This section of
the Psalms explains the taunting the Jews experienced by the Babylonians when they took them
and Jerusalem captive. Due to this the Jews longed for revenge in any way they could get it. The
author includes literary devices, elements of style, and narrative elements in order to enhance the
theme of overcoming hardships.
The author of Psalms 137 infuses a variety of literary devices in his work. To begin, the
Psalms contains visual and abstract imagery to create an emotional visual. The emotional image
portrayed is one of the Jews longing to be reunited with their beloved homeland, Jerusalem, and
being spiteful towards the Babylonians for taking it. This is crucial in understanding the section
of the Psalms since it shows how faithful the Jews were to God and the land he bestowed upon
them. Additionally, this section contains figurative language in the form of a hyperbole. The text
states, let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you (Psalms 137:6). By using
comparative language such as this, the author further enhances the sorrow the Jews felt toward
losing Jerusalem. This is because it is easier to understand how devoted the Jews were to
Jerusalem since they never wanted to stop thinking about it. The text also states, a blessing on
him who seizes your babies and dashes them against the rocks! (Psalms 137: 9). This second
use of a hyperbole displays the great rage the Jews had toward the Babylonians for putting them
through an immense struggle.

Furthermore, Psalms 137 contains different variations of style; it includes syntax, tone,
and mood to improve the text. The Psalms utilizes different forms of parallelism, such as
repetition with variation and completion of an idea. According to the Psalms, for our captors
asked there for songs, our tormentors, for amusement (Psalms 137: 3). By using repetition
with variation the author establishes in depth how the Jews felt they were being mocked by being
used for entertainment purposes. Parallelism allows the story to be more meaningful and this
structure makes it easier to understand the emotions of the Jews. Additionally, the author uses a
rhetorical question to make the trials the Jews went through more dramatic. The text reads, How
can we sing a song of the lord on alien soil (Psalms 137:4). The question further provides
evidence of the Jews feelings towards God, Jerusalem, and even the Babylonians. No matter the
cruelty the Babylonians inflicted on the Jews, they would continue to respect God and show him
love. To add on, the tone throughout the piece is sad, angry, and vengeful; the Jews were
sorrowful because they were stripped from the land that God gave them in their time of need.
The Jews were angry because Jerusalem was their home that the Babylonians took over, and they
were mocking those that were captured. Lastly, they were vengeful because they wanted the
Babylonians to feel the same pain that they suffered through. Just as part of the tone was
identified as sadness, the mood of the text also is sorrowful because the Jews had something they
loved so dearly that was taken away from them.
Moreover, the Psalms includes great use of narrative elements throughout the piece. In
order to enhance this biblical text, the author uses dialogue. According to the text, Sing us one
of the songs of Zion (Psalms 137: 3). This dialogue portrays how the Babylonians were using
the Jews as mere entertainment. Also, how they were taunting the Jews by making them sing
songs that were sacred. This shows importance to the text because it makes it easier to

comprehend why the Jews wanted revenge so badly and why they got extremely angry. Within
this piece of the Psalms there is also a conflict; the Babylonians have taken over Jerusalem, the
Jews beloved homeland. The text states, Fair Babylon, you predator, a blessing on him who
repays you in kind what you have inflicted on us (Psalms 137:8). By doing this the Babylonians
gave great pain to the Jews, and the Jews wished to repay the favor and win back the land that
God granted them. This illuminates the theme of the Jews striving through their challenges.
All in all, the author was able to convey the theme of Psalms 137 ( conquering struggles)
by using a variety of literary devices, elements of style, and narrative elements. The use of these
components makes the piece easier to understand since it contains emotion, imagery, figurative
language, etc. The bitterness of the Jews can be interpreted more easily because of the style the
author chose to use.