Psalms · psalm 87 of 150
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Psalm 87 is a brief song of the sons of Korah in honor of Zion, the city God founded on the holy mount and loves more than all the dwellings of Jacob. God himself records that peoples such as Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Cush were born there, and that Zion will be mother to many. The psalm ends with singers and dancers who say that all their springs are in her.
The title calls it a psalm and song of the sons of Korah. With only seven verses it is one of the shortest and most difficult psalms of the Psalter, because its Hebrew text is very compressed. It is one of the songs of Zion, centered on Jerusalem as the city of God. What stands out is that it includes foreign peoples, some of them traditional enemies of Israel, among those who belong to Zion. For that reason many read it as a vision that the nations will be included in the people of God.
The psalm begins with a statement: his foundation is on the holy mount. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.
In verse 4, God himself speaks: among those who know me I record Rahab and Babylon. Rahab is a poetic name for Egypt, and Babylon was an enemy power. Also Philistia, Tyre and Cush: this one was born there. It is startling that peoples who were adversaries or strangers are counted as born in Zion.
Verses 5 and 6 widen the idea: of Zion it shall be said that this one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her. The Lord records, as he registers the peoples: this one was born there. It is a picture of a register of citizens, where God enrolls people of all nations as inhabitants of his city.
Verse 7 concludes with singers and players who declare: all my springs are in you. Zion is the place from which life flows for those who belong to it.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. God's choice of Jerusalem is not due to its size or power but to his love.
God names Rahab and Babylon among those who know him, and Philistia, Tyre and Cush as born in Zion. Peoples who were enemies appear counted among the citizens of God's city.
The Lord records, as he registers the peoples, that this one was born there. God himself writes the register of citizens, and their inclusion depends not on anyone's merits but on his decision.
The singers and those who play instruments declare that all their springs are in Zion. The city of God is a source of joy and life for all who belong to it.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The gates of Zion. — Psalm 87:2
Answer: The city of God, of which glorious things are spoken. — Psalm 87:3
Answer: Rahab and Babylon, and also Philistia, Tyre and Cush. — Psalm 87:4
Answer: That this one was born there. — Psalm 87:4
Answer: The Most High himself. — Psalm 87:5
Answer: That all their springs are in Zion. — Psalm 87:7
Psalm 87 invites churches to think about whom they include. God registers as born in his city peoples no one would expect. In a Sunday school class you can discuss who is hard for us to receive as a brother or sister, and how the church can reflect this vision of a family that brings together people of different nations, languages and origins.
It also speaks of belonging. For Christians, being counted as citizens of God's city is not our own merit but grace. Galatians 4:26 speaks of the Jerusalem above as our mother, and Hebrews 12:22-23 of those enrolled in heaven. Anyone who feels like a foreigner can find comfort here: God has registered them as his own.
Psalm 87 ends with the joy of those who have all their springs in Zion. Psalm 88, also of the sons of Korah, changes tone completely: it is the darkest prayer of the Psalter, ending without a visible ray of hope.
It is a poetic name for Egypt, distinct from Rahab of Jericho. In the Old Testament it appears as a symbol of arrogant power, for example in Isaiah 30:7 and in Psalm 89:10. Here it appears with Babylon as powers counted among those who know God.
It is an expression of citizenship: to be born in a city was to belong to it. God declares that peoples from far away belong to Zion as if they had been born there. Christians usually see it as an anticipation of the inclusion of all nations in the people of God, although the text does not mention Christ.