By the rivers of Babylon we sat
ome have said about the Psalm
(“By the rivers of Babylon we sat”)
Question:
Some have said that the Psalm “By the rivers of Babylon we sat” cannot have been written by David,
because David did not sit by the rivers of Babylon. This occurred in the days of the Babylonian captivity, hundreds of years after David. It is also noted that it says “we sat” in the past tense, meaning something that had already happened.
Answer:
As a basic principle, we say to you that David did not write all the Psalms; rather, they were attributed to him because he wrote the majority of them.
Nevertheless, even if David had written this Psalm, there is nothing that prevents this.
He may have written it by the spirit of prophecy, by the inspiration of the prophet who sees the future as though it were occurring or had already occurred. And using the past tense does not contradict prophecy at all.
For the Psalm that prophesied about the crucifixion of Christ spoke in the past tense.
David said in it, “They pierced My hands and My feet; they counted all My bones” (Ps 22:16–17).
It is clear that David’s hands and feet were not pierced. But he said this by the spirit of prophecy concerning Christ, and he said it in the past tense about things that would happen in the future, to someone else and not to himself.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Fifth Year – Issue Eleven – 14 December 1974
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