69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, 1
which causes others to insult me. 2
78:64 Their 3 priests fell by the sword,
but their 4 widows did not weep. 5
137:1 By the rivers of Babylon
we sit down and weep 7
when we remember Zion.
1 sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
2 tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”
3 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
4 tn Heb “his.” The singular pronominal suffix is collective, referring back to God’s “people” (v. 62).
5 sn Because of the invading army and the ensuing panic, the priests’ widows had no time to carry out the normal mourning rites.
6 sn Psalm 137. The Babylonian exiles lament their condition, vow to remain loyal to Jerusalem, and appeal to God for revenge on their enemies.
7 tn Heb “there we sit down, also we weep.”