Psalms 87:5

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 87:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her.
Psalms 87:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 87

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her.

What do historical commentaries say?

Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And of Zion it shall be said - In respect to Zion; or, in honor of Zion. People shall regard it as a privilege to have been born in Zion. They shall speak of such a birth as a marked and honored distinction. “This and that man,” etc. Designating them, or pointing them out, as having been born there. Those in a crowd, those passing along, those brought in any way to notice, will be spoken of in reference to their birth in Zion, and will be treated with a degree of favor and esteem, arising from their birth there corresponding to what those receive who are born in Egypt, Babylon, or Tyre. They will not be shunned and avoided on account of their birth as if it were ignoble, but they will be…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Zion - Of Jerusalem, or the church of God. Said - It shall be acknowledged. Man - Heb. Man and man, all sorts of men without difference of nations. Establish - And this shall not be a transient, but a lasting work; Zion shall continue in its strength and fertility because the Almighty God is her founder and protector. Psalms 87:6”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“87:5-6 Jerusalem becomes the international city where all God’s children are citizens.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“of Zion: Isa 44:4, Isa 44:5, Isa 60:1-9; Joh 1:12-14, Joh 3:3-5; Gal 3:26-28; Heb 11:32-40; Heb 12:1, Heb 12:2, Heb 12:22-24; Pe1 1:23, Pe1 1:24 highest: Eze 48:35; Mat 16:18; Rom 8:31 Psalms 87:6”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“Inasmuch now as the nations come thus into the church (or congregation) of the children of God and of the children of Abraham, Zion becomes by degrees a church immeasurably great. To Zion, however, or of Zion (ל of reference to), shall it be said אישׁ ואישׁ ילּד־בּהּ. Zion, the one city, stands in contrast to all the countries, the one city of God in contrast to the kingdoms of the world, and אישׁ ואישׁ in contrast to זה. This contrast, upon the correct apprehension of which depends the understanding of the whole Psalm, is missed when it is said, "whilst in relation to other countries it is always only the whole nation that comes under consideration, Zion is not reckoned up as a nation, but…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification