Psalms 87:3-6

87:3 People say wonderful things about you, ¹ 

O city of God. (Selah)

87:4 I mention Rahab ²  and Babylon to my followers. ³ 

Here are ⁴  Philistia and Tyre, ⁵  along with Ethiopia. ⁶ 

It is said of them, “This one was born there.” ⁷ 

87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, ⁸ 

“Each one of these ⁹  was born in her,

and the sovereign One ¹⁰  makes her secure.” ¹¹ 

87:6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations, ¹² 

“This one was born there.” ¹³  (Selah)

Isaiah 2:2-3

2:2 In the future ¹⁴ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ¹⁵ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ¹⁶ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ¹⁷  he can teach us his requirements, ¹⁸ 

and ¹⁹  we can follow his standards.” ²⁰ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ²¹ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ²² 

Isaiah 52:9

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects ²³  Jerusalem.

Isaiah 62:1-2

The Lord Takes Delight in Zion

62:1 “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;

for the sake of Jerusalem ²⁴  I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines brightly ²⁵ 

and her deliverance burns like a torch.”

62:2 Nations will see your vindication,

and all kings your splendor.

You will be called by a new name

that the Lord himself will give you. ²⁶ 

Isaiah 65:18

65:18 But be happy and rejoice forevermore

over what I am about to create!

For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem ²⁷  to be a source of joy, ²⁸ 

and her people to be a source of happiness. ²⁹ 

Isaiah 66:10

66:10 Be happy for Jerusalem

and rejoice with her, all you who love her!

Share in her great joy,

all you who have mourned over her!

Joel 3:17

The Lord’s Presence in Zion

3:17 You will be convinced ³⁰  that I the Lord am your God,

dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.

Jerusalem ³¹  will be holy –

conquering armies ³²  will no longer pass through it.

Micah 4:1-2

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ³³  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ³⁴ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ³⁵ 

People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ³⁶  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ³⁷ 

and we can live by his laws.” ³⁸ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ³⁹ 

Philippians 3:20

3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 12:22

12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city ⁴⁰  of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly

Revelation 3:12

3:12 The one who conquers ⁴¹  I will make ⁴²  a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I ⁴³  will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), ⁴⁴  and my new name as well.

Revelation 21:2

21:2 And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:10-27

21:10 So ⁴⁵  he took me away in the Spirit ⁴⁶  to a huge, majestic mountain ⁴⁷  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 21:11 The city possesses ⁴⁸  the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. ⁴⁹  21:12 It has ⁵⁰  a massive, high wall ⁵¹  with twelve gates, ⁵²  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ⁵³  are written on the gates. ⁵⁴  21:13 There are ⁵⁵  three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. ⁵⁶  21:14 The ⁵⁷  wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

21:15 The angel ⁵⁸  who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now ⁵⁹  the city is laid out as a square, ⁶⁰  its length and width the same. He ⁶¹  measured the city with the measuring rod ⁶²  at fourteen hundred miles ⁶³  (its length and width and height are equal). 21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits ⁶⁴  according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. ⁶⁵  21:18 The city’s ⁶⁶  wall is made ⁶⁷  of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. ⁶⁸  21:19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated ⁶⁹  with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, ⁷⁰  the fourth emerald, 21:20 the fifth onyx, ⁷¹  the sixth carnelian, ⁷²  the seventh chrysolite, ⁷³  the eighth beryl, ⁷⁴  the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, ⁷⁵  the eleventh jacinth, ⁷⁶  and the twelfth amethyst. 21:21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The ⁷⁷  main street ⁷⁸  of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

21:22 Now ⁷⁹  I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful ⁸⁰  – and the Lamb are its temple. 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. 21:24 The nations ⁸¹  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ⁸²  into it. 21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ⁸³  (and ⁸⁴  there will be no night there). ⁸⁵  21:26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth ⁸⁶  of the nations ⁸⁷  into it, 21:27 but ⁸⁸  nothing ritually unclean ⁸⁹  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ⁹⁰  or practices falsehood, ⁹¹  but only those whose names ⁹²  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[87:3]  ¹ tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”

[87:4]  ² sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).

[87:4]  ³ tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the Lord speaks here. The verbal construction (the Hiphil of זָכַר, zakhar, “remember” followed by the preposition -לְ [le] with a substantive) is rare, but the prepositional phrase is best understood as indicating the recipient of the announcement (see Jer 4:16). Some take the preposition in the sense of “among” and translate, “among those who know me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). In this case these foreigners are viewed as the Lord’s people and the psalm is interpreted as anticipating a time when all nations will worship the Lord (see Ps 86:9) and be considered citizens of Zion.

[87:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “Look.”

[87:4]  ⁵ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[87:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “Cush.”

[87:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.

[87:5]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”

[87:6]  ¹² tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”

[87:6]  ¹³ tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.

[2:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ¹⁷ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ¹⁹ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ²² tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[52:9]  ²³ tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[62:1]  ²⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[62:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”

[62:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”

[65:18]  ²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[65:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Jerusalem, joy.” The next verse suggests the meaning: The Lord will create Jerusalem to be a source of joy to himself.

[65:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “her people, happiness.” See the preceding note.

[3:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “know.”

[3:17]  ³¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ³² tn Heb “strangers” or “foreigners.” In context, this refers to invasions by conquering armies.

[4:1]  ³³ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[12:22]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically – that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”

[3:12]  ⁴¹ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[3:12]  ⁴² tn Grk “I will make him,” but the pronoun (αὐτόν, auton, “him”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[3:12]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[3:12]  ⁴⁴ sn This description of the city of my God is parenthetical, explaining further the previous phrase and interrupting the list of “new names” given here.

[21:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[21:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”

[21:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “from God, having the glory of God.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “the city” to refer back to the previous clause and translating the participle (“having”) as a finite verb.

[21:11]  ⁴⁹ tn On the term ἰάσπιδι (iaspidi) BDAG 465 s.v. ἴασπις states, “jasper, a precious stone found in various colors, mostly reddish, somet. green…brown, blue, yellow, and white. In antiquity the name was not limited to the variety of quartz now called jasper, but could designate any opaque precious stone. Rv 21:18f. W. λίθος 4:3 (TestSol C 11:8). λίθος ἴασπις κρυσταλλίζων a stone of crystal-clear jasper 21:11 (cp. Is 54:12); perh. the opal is meant here; acc. to some, the diamond.”

[21:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

[21:12]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

[21:12]  ⁵² tn On this term BDAG 897 s.v. πυλών 1 states, “gate, esp. of the large, impressive gateways at the entrance of temples and palaces…of the entrances of the heavenly Jerusalem…οἱ πυλῶνες αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν its entrances shall never be shut Rv 21:25; cp. vss. 12ab, 13abcd, 15, 21ab; 22:14.”

[21:12]  ⁵³ tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

[21:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:13]  ⁵⁵ tn The words “There are” have been supplied to make a complete English sentence. This is a continuation of the previous sentence, a lengthy and complicated one in Greek.

[21:13]  ⁵⁶ tn The word “side” has been supplied four times in this verse for clarity.

[21:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:15]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:16]  ⁵⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.

[21:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “the city lies square.” On κεῖμαι (keimai) in this context, BDAG 537 s.v. 2 states, “lie, of things…ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται is laid out as a square Rv 21:16.”

[21:16]  ⁶¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:16]  ⁶² tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.

[21:16]  ⁶³ tn Or “two thousand two hundred kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).

[21:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).

[21:17]  ⁶⁵ tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anqrwpou, {o estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.

[21:18]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “and its wall”; the referent of the pronoun (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:18]  ⁶⁷ tn The phrase ἡ ἐνδώμησις τοῦ τείχους (Jh endwmhsi" tou teicou") is difficult to translate precisely. BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνδώμησις states, “primary mng. ‘interior structure’; in our lit. prob.=construction, hence material τοῦ τείχους Rv 21:18.” The phrase could then be translated, “the foundation of the city wall was jasper” or “the material used for the wall of the city was jasper.” The latter alternative has been used in the translation because the text goes on to discuss the foundation in 21:19 (using the term θεμέλιος [qemelios]), which is somewhat redundant if the foundation is mentioned here.

[21:18]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “transparent crystal.” See L&N 6.222, which notes the emphasis is on transparency here. The same Greek word, καθαρός (kaqaros), means both “pure” (referring to the gold) and “transparent” (referring to the glass).

[21:19]  ⁶⁹ tn The perfect participle here has been translated as an intensive (resultative) perfect.

[21:19]  ⁷⁰ sn Agate (also called chalcedony) is a semiprecious stone usually milky or gray in color (L&N 2.32).

[21:20]  ⁷¹ sn Onyx (also called sardonyx) is a semiprecious stone that comes in various colors (L&N 2.35).

[21:20]  ⁷² sn Carnelian is a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[21:20]  ⁷³ sn Chrysolite refers to either quartz or topaz, golden yellow in color (L&N 2.37).

[21:20]  ⁷⁴ sn Beryl is a semiprecious stone, usually blue-green or green in color (L&N 2.38).

[21:20]  ⁷⁵ sn Chrysoprase is a greenish type of quartz (L&N 2.40).

[21:20]  ⁷⁶ sn Jacinth is a semiprecious stone, probably blue in color (also called “hyacinth,” but that translation is not used here because of possible confusion with the flower of the same name). See L&N 2.41.

[21:21]  ⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ⁷⁸ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[21:22]  ⁷⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Every verse from here to the end of this chapter begins with καί in Greek, but due to differences between Greek and contemporary English style, these have not been translated.

[21:22]  ⁸⁰ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[21:24]  ⁸¹ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:24]  ⁸² tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”

[21:25]  ⁸³ tn On the translation “during the day” see BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a, “But also, as in Thu. et al., of time within which someth. occurs, ἡμέρας during the day Rv 21:25.”

[21:25]  ⁸⁴ tn The Greek connective γάρ (gar) most often expresses some sort of causal connection. However, in this context there is no causal force to the second phrase; γάρ simply expresses continuation or connection. Because of this it has been translated as “and.” See BDAG 189-90 s.v. 2.

[21:25]  ⁸⁵ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

[21:26]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “honor,” but BDAG 1005 s.v. τιμή 2.b states, “An outstanding feature of the use of τ., as already shown in several passages, is its combination w. δόξα…of earthly possessions τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν Rv 21:26 (τιμή concr.=an object of value: Ezk 22:25).”

[21:26]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:27]  ⁸⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:27]  ⁸⁹ tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”

[21:27]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

[21:27]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.

[21:27]  ⁹² tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.