Is Rivers of Babylon a gospel song?

Originally composed as a reggae song using words from Psalm 137, this song has been adapted to a variety of styles. The version I sing and teach has a gospel flavor and is based on an arrangement by former women's acapella group from Colorado, The Rhythm Method.

Is River of Babylon a religious song?

"Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible.

Which Psalm is Rivers of Babylon based on?

In 1970, they take Psalm 137 and turn it into a gorgeously slinky song, “Rivers of Babylon”, interpolating a verse from another Old Testament Psalm, 19 (“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart…”).

What does Babylon mean in reggae?

According to the Rastafarian belief system that animates some forms of reggae, Babylon refers to the corrupted, capitalist, colonial world that righteous believers are always trying to escape.

What's the meaning of Babylon?

Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia whose ruins lie in modern-day Iraq 59 miles (94 kilometres) southwest of Baghdad. The name is thought to derive from bav-il or bav-ilim which, in the Akkadian language of the time, meant 'Gate of God' or 'Gate of the Gods' and 'Babylon' coming from Greek.

By the Rivers of Babylon ( with lyrics)

What does 137 mean in the Bible?

Psalm 137 is a hymn expressing the yearnings of the Jewish people during their Babylonian exile. In its whole form of nine verses, the psalm reflects the yearning for Jerusalem as well as hatred for the Holy City's enemies with sometimes violent imagery.

What Bible verse is by the rivers of Babylon?

Psalm 137 is only one out of 150 psalms in the Bible to be set in a particular time and place. Its nine verses paint a scene of captives mourning “by the rivers of Babylon,” mocked by their captors. It expresses a vow to remember Jerusalem even in exile, and closes with fantasies of vengeance against the oppressors.

What Zion means in the Bible?

In the Hebrew Bible, the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem are both referred to as Zion. Other religions use the word Zion to mean "utopia" or "holy place."

What can we learn from Psalm 137?

Complete loyalty to YHWH: In Ps 137, the psalmist has complete loyalty and devotion towards YHWH. The psalmist's love for Jerusalem and Zion is not separate from the love of God. The psalmist's devotion to YHWH is seen when he deems it impossible or unthinkable that he would forget Jerusalem.

Where is Babylon today?

Where Is Babylon? The town of Babylon was located along the Euphrates River in present-day Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad.

What happened in by the waters of Babylon?

The story follows John on his initiation quest, a journey he undertakes in order to be recognized by his tribe as a man and a priest. John chooses the path of his journey based on visions and his reading of signs in the natural world. John's desire for new knowledge leads him to break many of the laws of his tribe.

Was the Old Testament written in Babylon?

Biblical texts written in the centuries after 586 B.C., he suggested, were likely to have been composed in Babylon. Other scholars cautioned against drawing too many conclusions about when the first major part of the Bible was written based on extrapolations regarding ancient literacy rates.

How can we sing the LORD's song in a strange land meaning?

When they devolve into powerful supports of privilege and entitlement at the expense of the well-being of those without access to the power that maintains them, then those structures and institutions themselves can become abusive and oppressive, “singing a strange song in the Lord's land.”

What is the purest number?

But 137?" The number 137, according to Lederman, "shows up naked all over the place", meaning that scientists on any planet in the universe using whatever units they have for charge or speed, and whatever their version of Planck's constant may be, will all come up with 137, because it is a pure number.

Is 9 a sacred number?

The number 9 is revered in Hinduism and considered a complete, perfected and divine number because it represents the end of a cycle in the decimal system, which originated from the Indian subcontinent as early as 3000 BC.

What do the dry bones represent?

The coming back to life of these dry bones, a representation of the eschatological restoration, as well as the reunification of Yahweh's covenant people, is a clear demonstration of Yahweh's sovereignty and the display of his absolute power of control over the cosmic order and history.

What is Babylon in the Bible referring to?

Although the name “Babylon” is derived from the Akkadian word babilu meaning “gate of god,” it is an evident counterfeit of God's eternal city. The opposition to the rule of God by world powers or the exile of God's people from the land of blessing is conveyed properly through the metaphor of Babylon.

What does the Bible say about Babylon?

"May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia," says Jerusalem. Therefore, this is what the LORD says: "See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry. Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives.

Why was Babylon destroyed in the Bible?

Babylon symbolizes evil. God destroyed Babylon, a wicked city in the ancient world (see Isaiah 13:19–22; Jeremiah 51:37, 52–58).

Is reggae an offensive word?

According to other sources, however, reggae is said to derive from the term “streggae,” which is a derogatory term meaning a woman of low morals.