NOTES for Psa 87

¹His foundation is in the holy mountains.

²The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

⁴I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

⁵And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

⁶The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.

⁷As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.

At first, the psalmist's words do not surprise us. Indeed, we already know that the Temple was built on Zion and that the Lord accepted it, and so Mount Zion became a place held in special regard by the faithful. But then the psalm turns to prophecy, and we can only marvel at the insight of the one who saw what was to come. For this passage is not about what had already made the city famous compared with other cities and lands, but about future times. With no apparent logical transition, yet in close connection with other passages of Scripture, it mentions a census during which the Lord will record the name of the one who is born.

And here we may recall the census about which Luke would write several centuries later, when he told of the birth near Zion of the One whom the Most High Himself will establish.

Other notes

For

¹His foundation is in the holy mountains.

²The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

⁴I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

⁵And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

⁶The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.

⁷As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.

Before us is a tragic song, almost without a ray of light. It seems that a person has reached the limit of despair, and even the prayerful cry to the One from whom help is to be expected... Read more

Before us is a tragic song, almost without a ray of light. It seems that a person has reached the limit of despair, and even the prayerful cry to the One from whom help is to be expected, in whom the only hope can be placed, sounds faint. It is even strange to encounter such a text after other psalms that sound entirely different.

But nothing on the pages of the Bible is accidental. The very fact that this psalm was included among those selected for a single collection testifies precisely that nothing can distance us from God. No matter what darkness we sink into, no matter how much we yield to gloomy moods, He does not forget us. Yes, He sees everything that happens to us, all the enticements and temptations to which we so often yield. But in any condition, however hopeless it may seem, it remains possible to turn to Him. He is near.

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NOTES for Psa 87

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Readings for 29 December 2022

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