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Psalm 87:4
I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me. Behold, Philistia, Tyre, and also Ethiopia: “This one was born there.”
2The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God. Selah.
4I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me. Behold, Philistia, Tyre, and also Ethiopia: “This one was born there.”
5Yes, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one was born in her;” the Most High himself will establish her.
6The LORD will count, when he writes up the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah.
Notice
Rahab and Babylon appear among those who acknowledge God, making Zion’s song reach beyond familiar borders and raising questions about who belongs.
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What surprises you about Babylon appearing among those who acknowledge God?
Write on thisHow does God recording people from these nations shape your sense of belonging among his people?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Isaiah 19:23–25In that day there will be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians will …Both passages describe people from nations beyond Israel acknowledging God, with Isaiah depicting Egyptians and Assyrians worshiping together.
Psalm 45:12The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift. The rich among the people entreat your favor.Tyre appears in both songs, among the nations named in Psalm 87 and bringing a gift in Psalm 45.
Acts 8:27He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, …Psalm 87 names Ethiopia in its song about Zion; Acts describes an Ethiopian man coming to Jerusalem to worship.
Isaiah 51:9Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of the LORD! Awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who …Both name Rahab, though Psalm 87 includes Rahab among those acknowledging God while Isaiah recalls the LORD cutting Rahab in pieces.
Psalm 68:31Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands to God.Both passages name Ethiopia in relation to God, with Psalm 68 describing her stretching out her hands to him.
Job 9:13“God will not withdraw his anger. The helpers of Rahab stoop under him.Rahab is the shared name: Psalm 87 records Rahab among those acknowledging God, while Job describes Rahab’s helpers stooping under him.
Psalm 89:10You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.Both name Rahab, with Psalm 87 speaking of acknowledgment and Psalm 89 describing Rahab broken by God’s mighty arm.
1 Peter 5:13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son.Both name Babylon in connection with people who belong to God.
Revelation 18:2He cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a …Babylon is the shared name, though Psalm 87 speaks of acknowledgment of God and Revelation announces Babylon’s fall and corruption.
Isaiah 13:1–22The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.Both name Babylon; Isaiah’s opening identifies it as the subject of an oracle, while the psalm speaks of acknowledging God.
Isaiah 19:11The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the …The link is Egypt, called Rahab in Psalm 87, while Isaiah addresses the folly of Pharaoh’s counselors.
Jeremiah 50:1–46The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.Babylon is named in both texts, as part of God’s record in the psalm and the subject of his word through Jeremiah.
Where this verse fits
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One step
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Encouragement
The names are specific, and God is the one keeping the record. He names people from beyond Zion’s borders among those who acknowledge him.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).