Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. 2
87:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain. 3
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea. 4
9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain 7 –
1 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
2 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the
3 tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).
4 tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.
5 tn Or “righteousness.”
6 tn Heb “your anger and your rage.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of God’s anger. This is best expressed in English by making one of the terms adjectival (cf. NLT “your furious anger”; CEV “terribly angry”).
7 tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”