Post-traumatic Growth, Belief in a Just World, and Psalm 137:9

Abstract

The historical background of Psalm 137, the traumatic event of the exile, makes it appropriate to read this psalm from the post-traumatic perspective. Most of the time, a trauma may negatively harm the mental health of its victim(s), but sometimes it may positively contribute to the mental development of the victim(s). Post-traumatic growth defines the positive psychological changes that result from a traumatic event, and the possession of belief in a just world is an indicator of post-traumatic growth. The textual evidence shows that the speaker of Psalm 137 is in the process of post-traumatic growth and that the speaker's belief in a just world, which is reflected in the text of Psalm 137:9, is at the core of this growth. The concept of post-traumatic growth and the belief in a just world work together to make sense of the language of violence in Psalm 137:9.