Psalm 87

1. Psalm 87 is a very brief psalm expressing the special place reserved for Jerusalem in God’s covenant with His people. It also looks forward to a day when other nations come to recognize Who God is and worship Him.

2. “His foundation” (NASB) means, more literally, “His founded city.” Jerusalem was a city God brought to prominence as He set it up as the place of the temple.

3. Verse 2 is not implying that God did not love other cities or the inhabitants of those locations. It is saying that Jerusalem, because it held the temple, had a special place in God’s heart.

4. If ever a verse in the Old Testament could be considered an understatement, it would be Psalm 87:3: “Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.” It boggles our minds to try and think of all the amazing things that were written and spoken about Jerusalem!

5. Verse 4 lists some powerful nations of that time (Rahab is Egypt), but Zion (Jerusalem) outshines them all because God is present there (verse 5).

6. Verse 6 tells us that it was a special thing to be “born” in Jerusalem. I believe this is symbolic of saying that it was a true blessing to be able to say that one was in the covenant with God.

7. When people looked to Jerusalem and saw all the wonderful things there, they could say that “springs of joy” were there. This is a poetic way of saying that blessings flowed from Jerusalem because of the temple and God’s presence.