1 Kings 8:16

8:16 He told David, ¹  ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. ²  But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’

1 Kings 8:44

8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, ³  and they direct their prayers to the Lord ⁴  toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, ⁵ 

1 Kings 11:36

11:36 I will leave ⁶  his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me ⁷  in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. ⁸ 

Psalms 78:68-69

78:68 He chose the tribe of Judah,

and Mount Zion, which he loves.

78:69 He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; ⁹ 

as secure as the earth, which he established permanently. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 87:1-2

Psalm 87 ¹¹ 

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. ¹² 

87:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

Psalms 132:13-14

132:13 Certainly ¹³  the Lord has chosen Zion;

he decided to make it his home. ¹⁴ 

132:14 He said, ¹⁵  “This will be my resting place forever;

I will live here, for I have chosen it. ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 12:6

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel ¹⁷  acts mightily ¹⁸  among you!”

[8:16]  ¹ tn Heb “saying.”

[8:16]  ² tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”

[8:44]  ³ tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”

[8:44]  ⁴ tn Or perhaps “to you, O Lord.” See 2 Chr 6:34.

[8:44]  ⁵ tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.

[11:36]  ⁶ tn Heb “give.”

[11:36]  ⁷ tn Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty. Because this imagery is unfamiliar to the modern reader, the translation “so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me” has been used.

[11:36]  ⁸ tn Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there.”

[78:69]  ⁹ tc Heb “and he built like the exalting [ones] his sanctuary.” The phrase כְּמוֹ־רָמִים (kÿmo-ramim, “like the exalting [ones]”) is a poetic form of the comparative preposition followed by a participial form of the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”). The text should be emended to כִּמְרֹמִים (kimromim, “like the [heavenly] heights”). See Ps 148:1, where “heights” refers to the heavens above.

[78:69]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like the earth, [which] he established permanently.” The feminine singular suffix on the Hebrew verb יָסַד (yasad, “to establish”) refers to the grammatically feminine noun “earth.”

[87:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.

[87:1]  ¹² tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).

[132:13]  ¹³ tn Or “for.”

[132:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”

[132:14]  ¹⁵ tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.

[132:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for I desired it.”

[12:6]  ¹⁷ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:6]  ¹⁸ tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.