Psalms 87:1

Psalm 87 ¹ 

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. ² 

Psalms 87:5

87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, ³ 

“Each one of these ⁴  was born in her,

and the sovereign One ⁵  makes her secure.” ⁶ 

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

[87:1]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Traditionally “Most High.”

[87:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”