“For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 69:35 Mean?
"For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession." The psalm that began in suffering (verse 1 — 'save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul') ends with prophetic confidence: God WILL save Zion and WILL build Judah's cities. The destruction isn't permanent. The desolation has an expiration date. The rebuilding is guaranteed.
The phrase "will save Zion" (yoshi'a Tsiyyon) treats the holy city as a patient needing rescue: Zion isn't just a geographic location. It's a living entity that God saves. The city itself receives God's salvation. The place where God's name dwells will not be permanently destroyed.
The purpose clause — "that they may dwell there, and have it in possession" (yeshvu veyirashuha) — reveals the ultimate goal: habitation and ownership. God doesn't just rebuild empty cities. He rebuilds cities for people to live in and possess. The restoration includes inhabitants. The buildings need families. The possession needs possessors.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What has been destroyed in your life that God is rebuilding for you to actually live in?
- 2.How does this promise coming after 35 verses of suffering change how you hear it?
- 3.What does God building cities for dwelling and possession teach about the purpose of restoration?
- 4.What 'cities of Judah' — communities beyond the center — need rebuilding in your context?
Devotional
God will save Zion. God will build the cities of Judah. The promise at the end of one of the most agonizing psalms is reconstruction: what's been destroyed will be rebuilt. What's been desolated will be inhabited. The ruins will have families in them again.
The 'will save Zion' comes after 35 verses of drowning, mocking, rejection, and suffering (this is the psalm Jesus references on the cross — 'they gave me vinegar to drink'). The saving of Zion isn't stated lightly. It's stated as the conclusion to immense suffering. The hope comes AFTER the agony, not instead of it. The rebuilding follows the destruction. The saving follows the suffering.
The 'build the cities of Judah' extends the promise beyond Zion: not just the capital. The cities. The plural. The towns and communities across the entire territory. The restoration isn't just for the center. It radiates outward to every community that suffered. Every destroyed city gets rebuilt. Every desolated town gets re-established.
The 'dwell there and have it in possession' is the purpose that makes the building meaningful: God doesn't build empty monuments. He builds homes. The cities are for dwelling — for families eating meals, for children playing in streets, for communities functioning in daily life. The possession is permanent — not renting from an empire but owning what God rebuilt.
What has been destroyed in your life that God is rebuilding — not as an empty monument but as a place for you to dwell and possess?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For God will save Zion,.... The church of Christ, as it is often called; See Gill on Psa 2:6; this is to be understood…
For God will save Zion - See the notes at Psa 51:18. That is, he will save his people; he will protect and defend them.…
The psalmist here, both as a type of Christ and as an example to Christians, concludes a psalm with holy joy and praise…
So Jeremiah couples -Jerusalem and the cities of Judah," Psa 33:10 ff., Psa 34:7: and the prediction of restoration…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture