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Commentary on Psalms 87 verses 4–7
Zion is here compared with other places, and preferred before them; the church of Christ is more glorious and excellent than the nations of the earth. 1. It is owned that other places have their glories (Psa 87:4): "I will make mention of Rahab" (that is, Egypt) "and Babylon, to those that know me and are about me, and with whom I discourse about public affairs; behold Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia" (or rather Arabia), "we will observe that this man was born there; here and there one famous man, eminent for knowledge and virtue, may be produced, that was a native of these countries; here and there one that becomes a proselyte and worshipper of the true God." But some give another sense of it, supposing that it is a prophecy or promise of bringing the Gentiles into the church and of uniting them in one body with the Jews. God says, "I will reckon Egypt and Babylon with those that know me. I will reckon them my people as much as Israel when they shall receive the gospel of Christ, and own them as born in Zion, born again there, and admitted to the privileges of Zion as freely as a true-born Israelite." Those that were strangers and foreigners became fellow-citizens with the saints, Eph 2:19. A Gentile convert shall stand upon a level with a native Jew; compare Isa 19:23-25. The Lord shall say, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance. 2. It is proved that the glory of Zion outshines them all, upon many accounts; for, (1.) Zion shall produce many great and good men that shall be famous in their generation, Psa 87:5. Of Zion it shall be said by all her neighbours that this and that man were born in her, many men of renown for wisdom and piety, and especially for acquaintance with the words of God and the visions of the Almighty - many prophets and kings, who should be greater favourites of heaven, and greater blessings to the earth, than ever were bred in Egypt or Babylon. The worthies of the church far exceed those of heathen nations, and their names will shine brighter than in perpetual records. A man, a man was born in her, by which some understand Christ, that man, that son of man, who is fairer than the children of men; he was born at Bethlehem near Zion, and was the glory of his people Israel. The greatest honour that ever was put upon the Jewish nation was, that of them, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, Rom 9:5. Or this also may be applied to the conversion of the Gentiles. Of Zion it shall be said that the law which went forth out of Zion, the gospel of Christ, shall be an instrument to beget many souls to God, and the Jerusalem that is from above shall be acknowledged the mother of them all. (2.) Zion's interest shall be strengthened and settled by an almighty power. The Highest himself shall undertake to establish her, who can do it effectually; the accession of proselytes out of various nations shall be so far from occasioning discord and division that it shall contribute greatly to Zion's strength; for, God himself having founded her upon an everlasting foundation, whatever convulsions and revolutions there are of states and kingdoms, and however heaven and earth may be shaken, these are things which cannot be shaken, but must remain. (3.) Zion's sons shall be registered with honour (Psa 87:6): "The Lord shall count, when he writes up the people, and takes a catalogue of his subjects, that this man was born there, and so is a subject by birth, by the first birth, being born in his house - by the second birth, being born again of his Spirit." When God comes to reckon with the children of men, that he may render to every man according to his works, he will observe who was born in Zion, and consequently enjoyed the privileges of God's sanctuary, to whom pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the service of God, Rom 9:4; Rom 3:1, Rom 3:2. For to them much was given, and therefore of them much will be required, and the account will be accordingly; five talents must be improved by those that were entrusted with five. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, and where thou was born. Selah. Let those that dwell in Zion mark this, and live up to their profession. (4.) Zion's songs shall be sung with joy and triumph: As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there to praise God, Psa 87:7. It was much to the honour of Zion, and is to the honour of the gospel-church, that there God is served and worshipped with rejoicing: his work is done, and done cheerfully; see Psa 68:25. All my springs are in thee, O Zion! So God says; he has deposited treasures of grace in his holy ordinances; there are the springs from which those streams take rise which make glad the city of our God, Psa 46:4. So the psalmist says, reckoning the springs from which his dry soul must be watered to lie in the sanctuary, in the word and ordinances, and in the communion of saints. The springs of the joy of a carnal worldling lie in wealth and pleasure; but the springs of the joy of a gracious soul lie in the word of God and prayer. Christ is the true temple; all our springs are in him, and from him all our streams flow. It pleased the Father, and all believers are well pleased with it too, that in him should all fulness dwell.
Pass now, pray, to the others who were saved by repentance. Perhaps even among the women someone will say, “I have committed fornication and adultery. I have defiled my body with every excess. Can there be salvation for me?” Fix your eyes, woman, on Rahab, and look for salvation for yourself too. For if she who openly and publicly practiced fornication was saved through repentance, will not she whose fornication preceded the gift of grace be saved by repentance and fasting? For observe how she was saved. She said only this: “Since the Lord, your God, is God in heaven above and on earth below.” “Your God,” she said, for she did not dare call him her God, because of her wantonness. If you want scriptural testimony of her salvation, you have it recorded in the Psalms: “I will think of Rahab and Babylon among those who know me.” O the great loving-kindness of God, which is mindful even of harlots in Scripture. He did not say merely, “I shall think of Rahab and Babylon,” but added, “among those who know me.” The salvation procured by repentance is open to men and women alike.
“I will be mindful of Rahab and Babylon among those that know me.” Since the psalmist said, “Glorious things are said of you, O city of God,” and we understand this city to be the church gathered together from the nations, the psalm now speaks of the calling of the Gentiles: “I will be mindful of Rahab and Babylon among those that know me.” Let the sinner be at peace; the Lord was mindful of Rahab. I mean, at peace, if the sinner returns to the Lord; otherwise, there is no healing peace in a tearless security. “I will be mindful of Rahab,” of Rahab, that harlot who lodged Jesus’ secret agents, who lived in Jericho, where Joshua had come and had dispatched the two spies. Jericho, that collapsed in seven days, is a type of this world, and as such is determined to kill the secret agents. Because, therefore, Jericho is bent on killing the spies, Rahab, the harlot, alone received them, lodged them not on the ground floor but in the upper story of the roof—or, in other words, in the sublimity of her faith. She hid them under her stalks of flax.
"Very excellent things are said of you, thou city of God" [Psalm 87:3]. He was, as it were, contemplating that city of Jerusalem on earth: for consider what city he alludes to, of which certain very excellent things are spoken. Now the earthly city has been destroyed: after suffering the enemy's rage, it fell to the earth; it is no longer what it was: it exhibited the emblem, and the shadow has passed away. Whence then are "very excellent things spoken of you, thou city of God"? Listen whence: "I will think upon Rahab and Babylon, with them that know Me" [Psalm 87:4]. In that city, the Prophet, in the person of God, says, "I will think upon Rahab and Babylon." Rahab belongs not to the Jewish people; Babylon belongs not to the Jewish people; as is clear from the next verse: "For the Philistines also, and Tyre, with the Ethiopians, were there." Deservedly then, "very excellent things are spoken of you, thou city of God:" for not only is the Jewish nation, born of the flesh of Abraham, included therein, but all nations also, some of which are named that all may be understood. "I will think," he says, "upon Rahab:" who is that harlot? That harlot in Jericho, who received the spies and conducted them out of the city by a different road: who trusted beforehand in the promise, who feared God, who was told to hang out of the window a line of scarlet thread, that is, to bear upon her forehead the sign of the blood of Christ. She was saved there, and thus represented the Church of the Gentiles: whence our Lord said to the haughty Pharisees, "Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." [Matthew 21:31] They go before, because they do violence: they push their way by faith, and to faith a way is made, nor can any resist, since they who are violent take it by force. For it is written, "The kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." [Matthew 11:12] Such was the conduct of the robber, more courageous on the cross than in the place of ambush. "I will think upon Rahab and Babylon." By Babylon is meant the city of this world: as there is one holy city, Jerusalem; one unholy, Babylon: all the unholy belong to Babylon, even as all the holy to Jerusalem. But he slides from Babylon to Jerusalem. How, but by Him who justifies the ungodly: Jerusalem is the city of the saints; Babylon of the wicked: but He comes who justifies the ungodly: since it is said, "I will think" not only "upon Rahab," but "upon Babylon," but with whom? "with them that know Me."...
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SUMMARY
Psalm 87:4 presents a remarkable prophetic vision within a psalm celebrating Zion, the city of God. It declares that prominent nations, historically seen as adversaries or outsiders—Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia—will have individuals counted as if they were "born" in Zion. This astonishing declaration signifies a radical expansion of God's covenant community, foreshadowing a future where people from all nations are spiritually regenerated and granted full citizenship in God's holy city, not by physical birth or ethnic origin, but by divine decree and inclusion.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 87:4 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound message. Personification is evident as Zion is implicitly portrayed as a mother, giving birth to or registering people from diverse nations as her children, a concept made explicit in the following verse Psalms 87:5. This emphasizes Zion's role as the spiritual birthplace for all who come to God. The listing of specific nations—Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia—functions as a form of Merism or Synecdoche, where a few prominent parts are named to represent the whole; in this case, all the nations of the earth. This technique powerfully communicates the universal scope of God's redemptive plan. Furthermore, the verse is rich in Prophecy and Foreshadowing, as it anticipates a future reality where the boundaries of God's covenant people are dramatically expanded to include Gentiles, a vision that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament. The very idea of historical adversaries being "born" in Zion also creates a striking Reversal or Paradox, highlighting God's transformative power and inclusive grace.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 87:4 stands as a profound Old Testament anticipation of God's universal redemptive plan, challenging the common perception of a covenant limited to ethnic Israel. It reveals that God's ultimate intention was always to draw people from every nation into His family, not through physical lineage or national identity, but through a spiritual transformation and inclusion within His holy city, Zion. This vision points forward to the New Covenant, where spiritual birth into the family of God transcends all earthly distinctions, establishing a new, inclusive community. The "birth" in Zion signifies a divine act of adoption and spiritual regeneration, making former outsiders into true citizens of God's kingdom.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 87:4 offers a breathtaking vision of God's expansive grace and inclusive heart. It reminds us that God's redemptive plan was never meant to be confined to one nation or ethnicity, but was always global in scope. For believers today, this verse challenges any lingering ethnocentric or exclusive tendencies within the church. It calls us to embrace a truly global perspective on the gospel, recognizing that people from every background, culture, and former allegiance are equally welcome and equally capable of being "born" into God's spiritual family. Our identity in Christ transcends earthly citizenship, uniting us as fellow citizens of heaven. This should inspire us to actively participate in God's mission to reach all nations, welcoming and integrating those from diverse backgrounds into the body of Christ, celebrating the rich tapestry of God's redeemed people.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "Rahab" mean in this verse?
Answer: In Psalms 87:4, "Rahab" (Hebrew: רָהַב, Rahab') is a poetic and symbolic name for Egypt, not the harlot of Jericho mentioned in the book of Joshua. This usage is common in prophetic and poetic books of the Old Testament, where Egypt is often depicted as a proud, powerful, or even mythical adversary (e.g., Isaiah 30:7 and Psalms 89:10). Its inclusion alongside Babylon and other nations highlights the universal scope of God's redemptive plan, encompassing even the most formidable and historically antagonistic powers.
Does "this [man] was born there" imply physical birth in Jerusalem?
Answer: No, the phrase "this [man] was born there" (referring to Zion) does not imply a literal, physical birth in Jerusalem for individuals from Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, or Ethiopia. Instead, it signifies a spiritual birth, a divine act of registration or adoption into the citizenry of God's holy city. The Hebrew verb used (יֻלַּד, yullad) is in the passive voice, emphasizing that this "birth" is divinely conferred, not achieved by human effort or physical relocation. It is a prophetic declaration that God will count individuals from these diverse nations as true, legitimate citizens of Zion, granting them a new identity and belonging within His covenant community, a concept that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the spiritual citizenship offered through Christ Philippians 3:20.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 87:4 finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Church. The prophetic vision of people from all nations being "born" in Zion, counted as true citizens of God's city, is precisely what the New Testament reveals through the gospel. Jesus, as the incarnate Son of God, broke down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, creating one new humanity in Himself Ephesians 2:14-16. Through faith in Him, individuals from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation are spiritually regenerated—"born again" John 3:3-8—and are incorporated into the Church, which is the spiritual Zion, the "city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" Hebrews 12:22-24. In Christ, there is no longer "Jew or Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" Galatians 3:28. Thus, the ancient psalm's astonishing declaration of universal inclusion is fully realized in the global body of Christ, where all who believe are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, truly "born" into the new, eternal Jerusalem, whose builder and maker is God Revelation 21:2-3.