Psalms 87:5

87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, ¹ 

“Each one of these ²  was born in her,

and the sovereign One ³  makes her secure.” ⁴ 

Psalms 102:16

102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,

and reveals his splendor,

Isaiah 14:32

14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? ⁵ 

Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;

the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

Isaiah 37:26

37:26 ⁶ Certainly you must have heard! ⁷ 

Long ago I worked it out,

in ancient times I planned ⁸  it,

and now I am bringing it to pass.

The plan is this:

Fortified cities will crash

into heaps of ruins. ⁹ 

Isaiah 43:1

The Lord Will Rescue His People

43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says,

the one who created you, O Jacob,

and formed you, O Israel:

“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect ¹⁰  you.

I call you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 43:21

43:21 the people whom I formed for myself,

so they might praise me.” ¹¹ 

Isaiah 62:7

62:7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, ¹² 

until he makes Jerusalem the pride ¹³  of the earth.

Hebrews 11:10

11:10 For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, ¹⁴  whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:16

11:16 But as it is, ¹⁵  they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

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

21:10 So ¹⁶  he took me away in the Spirit ¹⁷  to a huge, majestic mountain ¹⁸  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

[87:5]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”

[14:32]  ⁵ sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.

[37:26]  ⁶ tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.

[37:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.

[37:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).

[37:26]  ⁹ tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.

[43:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. Cf. NCV “saved you”; CEV “rescued you”; NLT “ransomed you.”

[43:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[so] they might declare my praise.”

[62:7]  ¹² tn “Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; note the following line.

[62:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “[the object of] praise.”

[11:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “that has foundations.”

[11:16]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “now.”

[21:10]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”