Psalm 137:6
New International Version
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

New Living Translation
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.

English Standard Version
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!

Berean Standard Bible
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

King James Bible
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

New King James Version
If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth— If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

New American Standard Bible
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

NASB 1995
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

NASB 1977
May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Legacy Standard Bible
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Amplified Bible
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not prefer Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Christian Standard Bible
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

American Standard Version
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I remember thee not; If I prefer not Jerusalem Above my chief joy.

Contemporary English Version
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I don't think about you above all else.

English Revised Version
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don't remember you, if I don't consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Good News Translation
May I never be able to sing again if I do not remember you, if I do not think of you as my greatest joy!

International Standard Version
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don't remember you, if I don't consider Jerusalem to be more important than my highest joy.

Majority Standard Bible
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!

NET Bible
May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, and do not give Jerusalem priority over whatever gives me the most joy.

New Heart English Bible
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you; if I do not prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Webster's Bible Translation
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

World English Bible
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don’t remember you, if I don’t prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
My tongue cleaves to my palate, "" If I do not remember you, "" If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Young's Literal Translation
My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Smith's Literal Translation
My tongue shall cleave to in palate, if I remember thee not; if I bring not up Jerusalem upon the head of my joy.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee: If I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my joy.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May my tongue adhere to my jaws, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem first, as the beginning of my joy.

New American Bible
May my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, If I do not exalt Jerusalem beyond all my delights.

New Revised Standard Version
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to my palate, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And let my tongue cleave to the roof of my palate, unless I remember you, unless I shall go up to Jerusalem, my chief joy!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, If I remember thee not; If I set not Jerusalem Above my chiefest joy.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
May my tongue cleave to my throat, if I do not remember thee; if I do not prefer Jerusalem as the chief of my joy.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
By the Rivers of Babylon
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand cease to function. 6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy! 7Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!”…

Cross References
Nehemiah 1:4-11
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. / Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments, / let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. ...

Isaiah 62:6-7
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves, / nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

Jeremiah 51:50
You who have escaped the sword, depart and do not linger! Remember the LORD from far away, and let Jerusalem come to mind.”

Lamentations 5:1-22
Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. Look and see our disgrace! / Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners. / We have become fatherless orphans; our mothers are widows. ...

Ezekiel 3:17
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.

2 Chronicles 6:6
But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

1 Kings 11:36
I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.

Zechariah 8:3
This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.”

Isaiah 49:14-16
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!” / “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! / Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

Psalm 122:6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper.

Psalm 102:13-14
You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor—the appointed time has come. / For Your servants delight in her stones and take pity on her dust.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ...

John 4:20-24
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.” / “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. / You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ...

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”


Treasury of Scripture

If I do not remember you, let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

let my tongue

Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

Isaiah 41:17
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

Lamentations 4:4
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.

if I prefer

Psalm 84:10
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

my chief joy.

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Psalm 137
1. The constancy of the Jews in captivity
7. The prophet curses Edom and Babel














May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
This phrase is a vivid expression of self-imprecation, a solemn vow that underscores the seriousness of the psalmist's commitment. In Hebrew, the word for "tongue" is "לָשׁוֹן" (lashon), which often symbolizes speech and communication. The imagery of the tongue clinging to the roof of the mouth suggests a state of silence or inability to speak, which in ancient Near Eastern culture, would be a severe consequence for someone who fails to fulfill a vow. This reflects the deep emotional and spiritual connection the psalmist has with Jerusalem, emphasizing the importance of remembering and honoring the holy city.

if I do not remember you
The act of remembering in Hebrew, "זָכַר" (zakar), goes beyond mere mental recall; it involves a conscious, deliberate act of bringing something to mind with the intention of acting upon it. In the context of the psalm, "you" refers to Jerusalem, the spiritual and cultural heart of the Jewish people. The psalmist's vow to remember Jerusalem highlights the centrality of the city in Jewish identity and faith, especially during the Babylonian exile when the physical connection to the city was severed. This remembrance is not passive but active, calling for a continual acknowledgment of Jerusalem's significance.

if I do not exalt Jerusalem
To "exalt" in Hebrew is "עָלָה" (alah), which means to lift up or elevate. This phrase indicates the psalmist's intention to place Jerusalem above all else in terms of importance and reverence. Jerusalem, as the city of God, holds a unique place in the hearts of the Israelites. It is not just a physical location but a symbol of God's presence, promises, and the center of worship. The psalmist's commitment to exalt Jerusalem reflects a deep-seated devotion and prioritization of spiritual values over worldly concerns.

as my greatest joy
The Hebrew word for "joy" is "שִׂמְחָה" (simchah), which conveys a sense of gladness and delight. By declaring Jerusalem as his greatest joy, the psalmist is expressing an intense emotional attachment and a profound sense of fulfillment derived from the city. This joy is not merely personal but communal, as Jerusalem represents the collective hope and future of the Jewish people. In a conservative Christian perspective, this joy can be seen as a foreshadowing of the ultimate joy found in the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal city of God, where believers will experience the fullness of God's presence and glory.

Verse 6. - If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth. Let me be deprived of the power of song. What was wished in the preceding verso with respect to the power of instrumental performance is here wished with respect to the vocal organs. If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. This seems to be the true sense, and is equivalent to "If I prefer not Jerusalem above aught else."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
May my tongue
לְשׁוֹנִ֨י ׀ (lə·šō·w·nî)
Noun - common singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3956: The tongue

cling
תִּדְבַּ֥ק־ (tiḏ·baq-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1692: To impinge, cling, adhere, to catch by pursuit

to the roof of my mouth
לְחִכִּי֮ (lə·ḥik·kî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2441: Palate, roof of the mouth, gums

if
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I do not
לֹ֪א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

remember you,
אֶ֫זְכְּרֵ֥כִי (’ez·kə·rê·ḵî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person feminine singular
Strong's 2142: To mark, to remember, to mention, to be male

if
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I do not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

exalt
אַ֭עֲלֶה (’a·‘ă·leh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

Jerusalem
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֑ם (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

as
עַ֝֗ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

my greatest
רֹ֣אשׁ (rōš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7218: The head

joy!
שִׂמְחָתִֽי׃ (śim·ḥā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8057: Blithesomeness, glee


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OT Poetry: Psalm 137:6 Let my tongue stick to the roof (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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