Every verse here opens — tap a number for what that one means.
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.
Commentary
Psalm 87, explained
What Psalm 87 is saying
A brief but theologically revolutionary Zion hymn, Psalm 87 declares that God loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, then makes a stunning claim: peoples from Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush will be registered as Zion-born. The psalm envisions traditional enemies as citizens of God's city, their birth certificates rewritten. Singers and dancers alike declare, 'All my springs are in you.'
The background behind it
The psalm's universal vision is remarkable for its pre-exilic or exilic context, when nationalist exclusivism was the dominant impulse. Its inclusion of Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon—Israel's greatest oppressors—as Zion citizens represents a radical theological development within the Psalter.
Themes running underneath
The psalm shatters ethnic and national boundaries for membership in God's people. The birth registry metaphor suggests that belonging to Zion is a matter of divine inscription, not natural origin. This anticipates the New Testament's teaching on spiritual birth and the ingathering of all nations. The final line—'all my springs are in you'—locates the source of life in God's city.
Why it still matters
Psalm 87 challenges every form of religious exclusivism by placing traditional outsiders within Zion's walls. It presents a vision of God's people defined not by ethnicity or geography but by divine enrollment.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.