Psalms 137 · For teachers and parents

Answer Key: By the Rivers of Babylon

Answers here are a guide. Welcome any answer that shows a child is thinking about the story, and celebrate their effort. Talk About It questions are open, so they have no set answers.

PreschoolRemembering Home

treepeopleheart

Coloring and finding page: any careful coloring is a win. Help your child point to and name each picture above.

KindergartenFar from Home

RIVER → picture 3HARP → picture 1TREE → picture 4HOME → picture 2

Grade 1We Remember Zion

By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down. → picture 4We wept when we remembered Zion. → picture 3On the willows we hung up our harps. → picture 1Sing us one of the songs of Zion! → picture 5If I forget you, Jerusalem. → picture 2

Order:

1. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down2. On the willows in that land, we hung up our harps3. If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill

Grade 2A Sad Song

Where were God's people taken? To Babylon (circle)
What did they do by the rivers? They sat and cried. (circle)
What did they miss? Their home, Jerusalem (circle)
Where did they hang their harps? On the trees (circle)
What did they promise? Never to forget Jerusalem (circle)

Grade 3A Song Far from Home

Where did the people sit and weep? By the rivers of Babylon
What did they remember? Zion
Where did they hang their harps? On the willows
What question did they ask? How can we sing Yahweh's song in a foreign land?
What did they promise? Never to forget Jerusalem

1: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down2: On the willows in that land, we hung up our harps3: If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill

Grade 4Grief in Captivity

What does the psalm remember? God's people as captives in Babylon
Why did the captives hang up their harps? They were too sad to sing Yahweh's songs in a foreign land.
What did they promise about Jerusalem? Never to forget it
What do the final verses do with the desire for justice? They bring it to God instead of taking revenge.

Word bank: 1. rivers; 2. wept; 3. harps; 4. Zion; 5. Jerusalem

Think About It: answers will vary. Look for answers that connect to the passage.

Grade 5Honest Prayer in Sorrow

Where did the singers sit down and weep? By the rivers of Babylon
What did the captors ask for? One of the songs of Zion
Whom does the singer ask God to remember? The children of Edom
How do Christians learn from the closing verses? They bring pain and the longing for justice to God (Romans 12:19).

Think About It: answers will vary. Look for answers that connect to the passage.