Isaiah 12:6

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

for the Holy One of Israel ¹  acts mightily ²  among you!”

Isaiah 37:32

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.

Psalms 87:1

Psalm 87 ⁴ 

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. ⁵ 

Psalms 87:5

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 

Psalms 102:16

102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,

and reveals his splendor,

Psalms 102:28

102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants ¹⁰  will live securely in your presence.” ¹¹ 

Psalms 132:13-14

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 

Matthew 16:18

16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades ¹⁶  will not overpower it.

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

[12:6]  ² tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.

[37:32]  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.

[87:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.

[87:1]  ⁵ 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).

[87:5]  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).

[87:5]  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.

[87:5]  ⁸ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”

[102:28]  ¹⁰ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[102:28]  ¹¹ tn Heb “before you will be established.”

[132:13]  ¹² tn Or “for.”

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

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

[132:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for I desired it.”

[16:18]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy).