Psalms 87

This short psalm celebrates Zion, the city God Himself founded and loves. Its surprise is that people from Israel’s old enemies and distant lands are counted as born in Zion. It ends with joyful singing that finds every source of gladness in God.

Psalms 87:1

Zion is not a city of human planning. God Himself laid its foundation, and He set it on the holy mountains. Its security and its holiness come from the One who established it, not from walls or armies.

BSA: founded (“established, laid the groundwork for”): The city rests on a foundation God laid, so its strength is His doing. holy (“set-apart”): The mountains are holy because God has set them apart for Himself.

See also: Psalm 48:1-2; Isaiah 28:16.

Psalms 87:2

The LORD loves Zion’s gates, the places where people enter, meet and find justice. He loves them above every other home in Israel. His choice of Zion is an act of love. It is not a reward for anything the city earned.

BSA: loves (“has affection for, is devoted to”): God’s feeling for Zion is warm devotion, not mere duty. gates (“city entrances, points of access”): The gates are where people come in, which hints that others may enter too.

See also: Psalm 78:67-68.

Psalms 87:3

The psalmist turns to speak to the city itself. Wonderful things are said about it, and above all that it belongs to God. The Selah invites the reader to pause and let that sink in before the surprise that follows.

BSA: ascribed (“spoken of, said”): These glorious things are what God Himself has said about the city, and they are not mere human flattery.

Hebrew: מְדֻבָּר (mědubbār, H1696) — “spoken, being declared.” The word means that the glories are being spoken continually. God’s word about Zion is ongoing and sure.

Psalms 87:4

God names nations that were Israel’s enemies or rivals: Rahab (a poetic name for Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Cush. He counts them among those who know Him. Then He says of them, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ His family is wider than anyone expected.

BSA: know (“are acquainted with, have knowledge of”): These nations come to know God personally, and that is the way into His family. born (“came into being, had their origin”): Being born in Zion means finding one’s true origin and identity in God’s city.

See also: Isaiah 19:24-25; Ephesians 2:19.

Psalms 87:5

People will say of Zion that this one and that one were born there. It does not matter what country they came from. The Most High Himself will make the city firm, so this welcome rests on His power and will not fail.

BSA: establish (“set up, make secure”): God not only gathers people in but makes the city and its citizens safe.

See also: Galatians 4:26.

Psalms 87:6

God is pictured as a record-keeper who writes names in the register of the peoples. When He enters a name, He declares that this person was born in Zion. Citizenship is God’s gift, and His word settles it. The Selah again calls for a quiet pause.

BSA: record (“count, write down”): God personally counts and writes each person in, so no one is overlooked. register (“list, catalog”): It is a list of citizens, and being on it means belonging.

See also: Luke 10:20; Philippians 3:20.

Psalms 87:7

The psalm ends in music. Singers and pipers declare that all their springs of joy are in God. For those who belong to His city, He is the one source that never runs dry, and every kind of gladness comes from Him.

BSA: springs (“fountains, sources of satisfaction”): Joy is pictured as water that keeps flowing, and God is its source. joy (“blessings, happiness”): The gladness is full and covers every kind of blessing.

See also: Psalm 36:8-9; John 4:14.