EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Psalms 137:1
"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion."
"This lesson is taught in a wonderful symbolic representation given to the prophet Ezekiel during his exile in the land of the Chaldeans. The vision was given at a time when Ezekiel was weighed down with sorrowful memories and troubled forebodings. The land of his fathers was desolate. Jerusalem was depopulated. The prophet himself was a stranger in a land where ambition and cruelty reigned supreme. As on every hand he beheld tyranny and wrong, his soul was distressed, and he mourned day and night. But the symbols presented to him revealed a power above that of earthly rulers. Ed 177.2"
Both passages describe the sorrow and mourning of the Israelites in exile. Ezekiel's sorrow and the desolation of Jerusalem in the EGW passage parallel the weeping by the rivers of Babylon in Psalm 137:1.
"This vision was given to Ezekiel at a time when his mind was filled with gloomy forebodings. He saw the land of his fathers lying desolate. The city that was once full of people was no longer inhabited. The voice of mirth and the song of praise were no more heard within her walls. The prophet himself was a stranger in a strange land, where boundless ambition and savage cruelty reigned supreme. That which he saw and heard of human tyranny and wrong distressed his soul, and he mourned bitterly day and night. But the wonderful symbols presented before him beside the river Chebar revealed an overruling power mightier than that of earthly rulers. Above the proud and cruel monarchs of Assyria and Babylon the God of mercy and truth was enthroned. 5T 752.1"
Both passages describe the experience of exile and mourning in Babylon. EGW's description of Ezekiel's state of mind echoes the sentiment expressed in Psalm 137:1.
Psalms 137:2
"We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof."
"They were brought into subjection to Babylon, and scattered through the lands of the heathen. In affliction many renewed their faithfulness to His covenant. While they hung their harps upon the willows, and mourned for the holy temple that was laid waste, the light of truth shone out through them, and a knowledge of God was spread among the nations. The heathen systems of sacrifice were a perversion of the system that God had appointed; and many a sincere observer of heathen rites learned from the Hebrews the meaning of the service divinely ordained, and in faith grasped the promise of a Redeemer. DA 28.3"
The EGW passage directly alludes to Psalm 137:2 with the phrase "hung their harps upon the willows" in the context of mourning and exile. The connection is clear and intentional.
Psalms 137:5
"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning."
"“In my relations to this cause I have been longest and most closely connected with the publishing work. Three times have I fallen, stricken with paralysis, through my devotion to this branch of the cause. Now that God has given me renewed physical and mental strength, I feel that I can serve His cause as I have never been able to serve it before. I must see the publishing work prosper. It is interwoven with my very existence. If I forget the interests of this work, let my right hand forget her cunning.” 1T 107.1"
The EGW passage directly alludes to Psalm 137:5, using the same phrase 'let my right hand forget her cunning' to express unwavering dedication to the publishing work, mirroring the Psalmist's devotion to Jerusalem.
"“In my relations to this cause I have been longest and most closely connected with the publishing work. Three times have I fallen, stricken with paralysis, through my devotion to this branch of the cause. Now that God has given me renewed physical and mental strength, I feel that I can serve His cause as I have never been able to serve it before. I must see the publishing work prosper. It is interwoven with my very existence. If I forget the interests of this work, let my right hand forget her cunning.” LS 248.3"
EGW directly quotes and applies the sentiment of Psalm 137:5 to her dedication to the publishing work.
"Chapter 52—A Man of Opportunity This chapter is based on Nehemiah 1 ; 2 . Nehemiah, one of the Hebrew exiles, occupied a position of influence and honor in the Persian court. As cupbearer to the king he was admitted freely to the royal presence. By virtue of his position, and because of his abilities and fidelity, he had become the monarch's friend and counselor. The recipient of royal favor, however, though surrounded by pomp and splendor, did not forget his God nor his people. With deepest interest his heart turned toward Jerusalem; his hopes and joys were bound up with her prosperity. Through this man, prepared by his residence in the Persian court for the work to which he was to be called, God purposed to bring blessing to His people in the land of their fathers. PK 628"
Both passages express a deep concern and love for Jerusalem. Nehemiah's concern for Jerusalem's prosperity and the Psalmist's vow to never forget Jerusalem share a similar theme of devotion.