| Psalm 87 | |
|---|---|
| "His Foundation is in the Holy Mountains" | |
 The German inscription on the doorpost of a building in Jerusalem (1948) "The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob" from Psalm 87:2. | |
| Other name |
|
| Text | by Korahites |
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 87 | |
|---|---|
← Psalm 86 Psalm 87 → | |
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
Psalm 87 is the 87th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "His foundation is in the holy mountains.". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 86. In Latin, it is known as "Fundamenta eius in montibus sanctis".[1] It was written by the sons of Korach. It describes Jerusalem as the center of the world or the "mother of nations",[2] where God placed the Torah.[3]
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic liturgies. Psalm 87 has been paraphrased as the hymn "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken", and set to music from Baroque to contemporary and popular.
The Psalms depict a splendid vision for Jerusalem, wherein individuals from historically adversarial groups to Israel are envisioned as being metaphorically 'born in Zion.' These groups, symbolized by Rahab representing Egypt, Babylonia, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush, stand united in an unexpected reconciliation. In the words of O. Palmer Robertson, this portrayal signifies a remarkable strategy for conquering adversaries. [4]
- ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter, Psalmus 86 (87). Archived 2017-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Medievalist.
- ^ Jerusalem Bible (1966), Sub-title to Psalm 87
- ^ The Artscroll Tehillim, p. 186.
- ^ Robertson, O. Palmer (2015). The Flow of the Psalms. P&R Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-62995-133-1.