12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel 1 acts mightily 2 among you!”
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 3 will accomplish this.
Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. 5
87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, 6
“Each one of these 7 was born in her,
and the sovereign One 8 makes her secure.” 9
102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,
and reveals his splendor,
102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants 10 will live securely in your presence.” 11
132:13 Certainly 12 the Lord has chosen Zion;
he decided to make it his home. 13
132:14 He said, 14 “This will be my resting place forever;
I will live here, for I have chosen it. 15
1 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
2 tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.
3 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
4 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
5 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the
6 tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (’amar), the preposition lamed (-לְ) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).
7 tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.
8 tn Traditionally “Most High.”
9 tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”
10 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
11 tn Heb “before you will be established.”
12 tn Or “for.”
13 tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”
14 tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
15 tn Heb “for I desired it.”
16 tn Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy).