Translations
KJVPrimary
King James VersionBy the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
F.O.G.Secondary
The F.O.GBy the canals of Bavel, there we sat—and wept—as we remembered Tzion.
F.O.G.M.
F.O.G MessageBy the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and wept as we remembered Jerusalem.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleBy the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
Footnotes
Naharot (נְהָרוֹת) is traditionally rendered 'rivers,' but in Babylonia the primary water features were an elaborate network of irrigation canals branching from the Euphrates; 'canals' is arguably the more accurate rendering for the specific Babylonian setting. F.O.G. uses 'canals' for historical precision; F.O.G.M. retains 'rivers' as the liturgically familiar and emotionally resonant tradition. The verb yashavnu (we sat/dwelt) is a posture of mourning (cf. Job 2:13); bezochreinu — 'as we remembered' — reflects the active, presence-evoking quality of Hebrew zachar: memory is not passive recollection but a re-experiencing of what is lost.
