NOTES for Psa 87
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.