The big picture
Psalm 87 is brief, but its register is startlingly crowded. Zion’s distinction begins with God’s own foundation and love for the city, not with a catalogue of walls, wealth, or military strength. Then foreign names enter: Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia. Repeated declarations that “this man was born there” make belonging the poem’s central concern, even though the compressed pronouns allow more than one reading of exactly how foreign birthplaces and Zion relate. What is not compressed is the decisive action: the Lord himself counts and writes up the people. The city’s identity is therefore controlled neither by prestige nor by self-appointed gatekeepers. Singers and instrumental players fill the ending, and “all my springs are in thee” turns the civic register into an image of living abundance rather than a dry list of accepted names.
Central truth
Psalm 87 pictures Zion as God’s beloved city where people from former rival nations are counted as native-born and celebrate their belonging together.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Psalms 87:1: “His foundation is in the holy mountains.”
Slow down at the turning point
Psalms 87:4: “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.”
Keep this word trail visible
born, LORD, Selah, Zion, Babylon, city
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Psalm 87:1-3
The city God loves
Read 87:1-3. "His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God." Explain that everything said about Zion here depends on God: he founded it, he loves it, and the glory spoken of it is his. Teach this first so the class sees that the city's worth comes from God's choice and love, not from its size or power.
Psalm 87:4
Five surprising names
Read verse 4 and put the five names on a map: Rahab, a poetic name for Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia. Explain who each was for Israel: oppressor, destroyer, enemy, trading power, distant land. Then the shock: they are among "them that know me", and of each it is said, "this man was born there". Teach this step so the class feels the surprise. Keep the names in their ancient setting rather than mapping them onto modern politics.
Psalm 87:5-6
Born there, written down
Read 87:5-6. "This and that man was born in her", and "The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there." Explain the picture of a citizens' register kept by God himself. Teach this as the heart of the psalm: people from many nations are counted as native-born citizens of the city of God, and God does the counting. Link it with Isaiah 2:2-3, where the nations flow to Zion.
Psalm 87:7
All my springs are in thee
Read the last verse: "As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee." Explain springs as sources of life and refreshment. Teach this last so the psalm ends in celebration: the registered citizens become a choir. Then step back and read Galatians 4:26 or Revelation 7:9-10 to show how the New Testament sees this gathering of nations in the people of God.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
"The Rahab in verse 4 is the woman from Jericho."
Here Rahab is listed with nations: "Rahab and Babylon", then "Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia" (87:4). It is a poetic name for Egypt, used the same way in Isaiah 51:9 and Psalm 89:10. The point is that a great oppressor nation is now counted among those who know God. The Rahab of Joshua 2 is a different person, though her inclusion in Israel makes a similar point.
"People from other nations can only ever be outsiders in God's people."
The psalm says of people from Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia, "this man was born there" (87:4), and God himself records it (87:6). They are counted as native-born, not as visitors. Ephesians 2:19 says that in Christ believers from the nations are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints.
"Psalm 87 is about which modern nations will side with Israel."
The psalm names ancient peoples (87:4) to show that God's city will include those who were once enemies or strangers. Its interest is that they "know me" and are "born there" (87:4-6), that is, that they belong to God. It does not give a forecast of modern alliances. Use it to teach the breadth of God's grace, not current politics.
Learning objectives
- Identify Zion as the center of all seven verses.
- Explain the surprising national list in verse 4.
- Trace the repeated phrase “born there.”
- Show that God himself establishes Zion.
- Interpret the Lord’s register in verse 6.
- Connect verse 7’s music with granted belonging.
Teacher preparation
- Locate Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Cush, and Zion on a simple map.
- Explain that “Rahab” in verse 4 is poetic Egypt, not Joshua’s Rahab.
- Mark every occurrence of “born” and every divine action.
- Read Psalms 46 and 48 for the sons of Korah’s Zion language.
- Keep the psalm distinct from modern political claims it does not address.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Verses 1–3 explicitly present Zion as founded, loved, and spoken of gloriously because of the Lord.
Scripture-supported
Verses 4–6 support inclusion because named foreigners are repeatedly described as born in Zion.
Strong inference
The birth language strongly implies granted belonging, not simple tourism or political submission.
Possible or traditional reading
Christian readers often hear later mission and kingdom fulfillment here, but Psalm 87 gives no timetable or mechanism.
Limit
The psalm does not erase national identities; it emphasizes who establishes Zion and who writes the register.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. Why name Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush in verse 4?
What a good answer contains
Because they are the last peoples anyone would expect to be counted as citizens of Zion. "I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there" (87:4). Rahab here is a poetic name for Egypt (Isaiah 51:9; Psalm 89:10), not the woman of Jericho. Egypt enslaved Israel, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, Philistia fought her, Tyre traded with her, and Ethiopia lay at the edge of the known world. A good answer feels the surprise: former enemies are listed among those who know God.
Show teacher guidance
Their presence is the surprise. People from recognizable outsiders are spoken of as born in Zion.
2. What does “born there” add each time it returns?
What a good answer contains
Belonging, as if by birth certificate. "this man was born there" (87:4), "This and that man was born in her" (87:5), "this man was born there" (87:6). Each time it is said with more weight, and in verse 6 it is God himself who records it. A good answer sees that people from other nations are not treated as guests or second-class residents, but as native-born citizens of the city of God. Ephesians 2:19 says the same: no more strangers, but fellowcitizens with the saints.
Show teacher guidance
Hear civic force in the phrase, especially once verse 6 pictures the Lord formally counting people.
3. Who establishes Zion in verse 5?
What a good answer contains
God himself. "And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her" (87:5). The city's security does not rest on walls, armies or wealth, but on the Most High. A good answer links this with verse 1, "His foundation is in the holy mountains", and verse 2, where the LORD loves Zion's gates. Zion is God's founding, God's love and God's establishing work. A weak answer credits the city's own strength.
Show teacher guidance
Keep the answer on “the highest himself,” not the city’s wealth, army, or prestige.
4. What is the Lord doing in verse 6?
What a good answer contains
Writing up a census of citizens. "The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there" (87:6). The picture is of a register of names, with God as the official who records who belongs. A good answer keeps the poetry simple: God himself decides and records membership, and he writes the nations in. It connects with Luke 10:20, where Jesus tells his disciples to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. A weak answer adds detail the psalm does not give.
Show teacher guidance
Treat the language as divine registration: God is the authority who recognizes belonging.
5. Why end with singers, players, and springs?
What a good answer contains
Because belonging becomes joy. "As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee" (87:7). The newly registered citizens join the music of the city. Springs are sources of water and life. A good answer sees that the psalm does not end with a list but with a song: everything that refreshes them is found in the city of God. It may recall Psalm 46:4, where a river makes glad the city of God. A weak answer treats verse 7 as an unrelated note.
Show teacher guidance
The psalm moves from registration to celebration, making belonging something sung rather than merely recorded.
6. What makes Zion more than a location here?
What a good answer contains
God's relationship to it. Zion is founded by him, "His foundation is in the holy mountains" (87:1), loved by him, "The LORD loveth the gates of Zion" (87:2), praised as "O city of God" (87:3), established by "the highest himself" (87:5), and the place where God registers the nations (87:6). A good answer sees that Zion matters because of God, and that the psalm points beyond the earthly city to the gathered people of God from every nation (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22-23).
Show teacher guidance
Require textual details such as God’s love, establishment, international register, or the final spring imagery.
Responsible application
Let God define belonging
Use verses 5–6 to challenge communities that make heritage or familiarity stronger than the belonging God grants.
Notice the unexpected names
Read the national list slowly and ask how the psalm unsettles permanent insider and outsider categories.
End with music
Return to verse 7 and explain why singing fits a community whose names have been counted in.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
City of God
Read 87:1-3 and ask questions three and six.
Five names
Read 87:4 with a map. Ask question one and take confusions one and three.
Born there
Read 87:5-6. Ask questions two and four and take confusion two.
All my springs
Read 87:7 and ask question five.
Handout and prayer
Hand out the sheet, read the key verse together, and pray for people of every nation to come to know God.
90 minutes
Where are you from
Ask each person where they were born and what it means to belong somewhere.
Founded and loved
Read 87:1-3 and Psalm 46:4-5. Ask questions three and six.
Rahab and Babylon
Read 87:4, Isaiah 51:9 and Isaiah 19:23-25. Ask question one and take confusions one and three.
The LORD shall count
Read 87:5-6, Isaiah 2:2-3 and Luke 10:20. Ask questions two and four.
Fellowcitizens
Read Ephesians 2:11-19 and take confusion two.
The singers
Read 87:7 and Revelation 7:9-10. Ask question five.
Many nations, one city
Discuss how your church can welcome believers from other nations as full members, and pray for missionaries.
Handout and prayer
Read the key verse together, point to the take-home line, and sing a song about God's city or people.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Make name cards for the countries in verse 4 and let children carry them to a picture of a city on a hill. Explain that God loves his city and welcomes people from many lands into it, and he writes their names down. Ask whether they know that God welcomes people from every country. End with verse 7 and sing a song together.
Youth
Treat verses 4-6 like a citizenship record. Who is listed, who registers them, and what does born there mean? Talk about how God counts people from enemy nations as his own. Ask how this should shape the way they treat classmates from other backgrounds, and read Ephesians 2:19.
Adults
Adults can hold together Zion's particular place in Israel's faith and the psalm's international register. Study the names in verse 4 and their history with Israel, and the New Testament use of the heavenly city in Galatians 4:26 and Hebrews 12:22-23. Discuss how a congregation shows that people from other nations belong fully, not as guests.
One to one
If the person feels like an outsider in the church, because of nationality, background or past, read 87:4-6 with them. Show them that God registers former outsiders as native-born. Read Ephesians 2:19 and remind them that in Christ they are fellowcitizens. Pray that they will find their springs in God.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Psalms 87:1–7
The passage in brief
Psalm 87 celebrates Zion, the city of God, which the LORD founded and loves. Then it says something surprising: people from Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia, nations that had been enemies or strangers, are counted as if they had been born there. God himself writes their names in his register. The psalm ends with singing and music, and the words, all my springs are in you.
A verse to keep
And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
Psalms 87:5 · King James Version
Questions to take home
Which nations are named in 87:4, and why is that surprising?
Who writes the names of the people in 87:6?
How can you welcome someone from a different background as a full member of God's family this week?
This week
This week, pray for one nation by name, that its people may come to know God.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
