Dashing Babies or Regimes? (Psalm 137:9)
http://brianwdavidson.com/2013/12/10/dashing-babies-or-regimes-psalm-1379/ Othmar Keel’ s The Symbolism of the Biblical World demonstrates how ancient Near Eastern iconography illuminates the conceptual world of Psalms. He includes a couple images that might reframe one’s understanding of Psalm 137:9. Keel, figure 341, pg. 254 Keel, figure 342, pg. 255 Psalm 137:9 (NRSV): Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock! In both images, a young prince sits on the lap of his caretaker and has captives under his feet. Keel explains that when cities were plundered, the inhabitants of these cities often became subject to princes who were very young. There are a couple biblical examples of very young kings, according to MT: Josiah (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chron 34:1) and Joash (2 Kings 12:1; cf.11:21; 2 Chron 24:1), “became kings” before they reached the age of 10. Concerning Psalm 137:9 in light of these images, Keel ...