On Those Who Praise "Smashing Babies against the Rocks"

"There is permission from the Torah to have any mercy in war."

1) Susan Abulhawa | Palestinian novelist (Oxford Union debate)

Has there ever been a commander who rallies his soldiers with visions of smashing babies against rocks? Have there ever been ‘soldiers’ who laugh and smile at the prospect? Has there ever been a society that holds such explicit baby killing with pride?

2) In a motivational speech to soldiers entering Gaza, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power Party and Minister for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, quotes from the book of Psalms, telling the soldiers that they’d be blessed for shattering their “enemy’s” babies against the rocks!

3) There is no permission from the Torah to have any mercy in war.

Watching this video, I was able to understand why innocent children are being killed.

4 ) Psalm 137 verse 9 (last verse)

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

7 Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”

8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us.

9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

QUESTIONS:

1. What percentage of American Christians support the application of Psalm 137:9 in this way?

2. What percentage of American Jews/ Israeli Jews support the application of Psalm 137:9 in this way?

3. What questions would you pose to an American audience about the Bible or about Israel?

4. If this is how some Christians and Jews behave, how do they expect to be treated by Muslims?

DETAILS:

GEMINI:

Q: What percent of American Christians support the Application of Psalm 137:9 by Israel in Gaza, which calls for killing babies and children, and says “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”

A: There are no public opinion polls or demographic studies that show any measurable percentage of American Christians supporting the literal application of Psalm 137:9—or the intentional killing of babies and children—by Israel in Gaza.

Major polling organizations (such as the Pew Research Center, Gallup, and Lifeway Research) frequently measure American Christian attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but these surveys focus on geopolitical approval, humanitarian concerns, and specific policy solutions rather than the application of violent biblical passages.

When evaluating how American Christians view the conflict, the data reveals the following trends:

1. Concern for Civilian Casualties

Polling consistently shows that the vast majority of American Christians oppose the killing of innocent civilians. According to a comprehensive survey conducted by Lifeway Research on Christian attitudes toward the war in Gaza:

• 53% of American Christians stated that the top priority for U.S. advocacy should be pushing for strong measures to minimize civilian casualties.

  The Jerusalem Post

• 42% supported an immediate, complete ceasefire to stop the violence.

  The Jerusalem Post

• 50% expressed concern that blockades and military actions heavily oppress innocent Palestinian civilians who have no way to escape.

  Biblical Recorder

2. General Support for Peace and a Two-State Solution

Rather than endorsing total destruction, the overwhelming majority of American Christians favor peaceful, negotiated outcomes:

The Jerusalem Post

• 81% of U.S. Christians support a two-state solution where both Israelis and Palestinians have self-governing, respected national borders.

  Biblical Recorder

• 88% believe lasting peace requires a mutually agreed-upon political solution rather than a purely military one.

  Biblical Recorder

3. Theological Context of Psalm 137

In mainstream Christian theology, Psalm 137 is categorized as an “imprecatory psalm”—a poem expressing intense grief, anger, and a cry for divine vengeance written by Jewish exiles after the horrific destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in the 6th century BCE.

Mainstream Christian denominations (including Evangelical, Catholic, Mainline Protestant, and Orthodox traditions) do not interpret this verse as a prophetic mandate or a moral command for modern warfare. Instead, the normative Christian ethical framework for conflict is guided by Just War Theory (which strictly forbids the targeting of non-combatants and children) and the New Testament teachings of Jesus regarding peace and the love of enemies.

What are the imprecatory psalms?

The book of Psalms is rich with poetry, praise, joy, sorrow, and more. It was written by several authors, including King David. There are seven major types of psalms found in this book: lament psalms, thanksgiving psalms, enthronement psalms, pilgrimage psalms, royal psalms, wisdom psalms, and imprecatory psalms.

An imprecation is a curse that invokes misfortune upon someone. Imprecatory psalms are those in which the author imprecates; that is, he calls down calamity, destruction, and God’s anger and judgment on his enemies. This type of psalm is found throughout the book. The major imprecatory psalms are Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, and 140. The following are a few examples of the imprecatory language gleaned from these psalms:

“Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you” (Psalm 5:10).

“Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked” (Psalm 17:13).

“Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland” (Psalm 79:6–7).

“Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks” (Psalm 137:9).

When studying the imprecatory psalms, it is important to note that these psalms were not written out of vindictiveness or a need for personal vengeance. Instead, they are prayers that keep God’s justice, sovereignty, and protection in mind. God’s people had suffered much at the hands of those who opposed them, including the Hittites, Amorites, Philistines, and Babylonians (the subject of Psalm 137). These groups were not only enemies of Israel, but they were also enemies of God; they were degenerate and ruthless conquerors who had repeatedly tried and failed to destroy the Lord’s chosen people. In writing the imprecatory psalms, the authors sought vindication on God’s behalf as much as they sought their own.

While Jesus Himself quoted some imprecatory psalms (John 2:17; 15:25), He also instructed us to love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:44–48; Luke 6:27–38). The New Testament makes it clear that our enemy is spiritual, not physical (Ephesians 6:12). It is not sinful to pray the imprecatory psalms against our spiritual enemies, but we should also pray with compassion and love and even thanksgiving for people who are under the devil’s influence (1 Timothy 2:1). We should desire their salvation. After all, God “is patient . . . not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Above all things, we should seek the will of God in everything we do and, when we are wronged, leave the ultimate outcome to the Lord (Romans 12:19).

The bottom line is that the imprecatory psalms communicate a deep yearning for justice, written from the point of view of those who had been mightily oppressed. God’s people have the promise of divine vengeance: “Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly” (Luke 18:7–8; cf. Revelation 19:2).

• Source: gotquestions.org