My Notes
What Does Psalms 87:3 Mean?
"Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah." Psalm 87 is a short, powerful declaration about Jerusalem as the city of God — the place where God dwells, the center of His purposes, the location from which His influence radiates to the nations.
The phrase "glorious things" (kavod) uses the Hebrew word for glory, weight, significance. The things spoken of Jerusalem aren't merely positive — they carry the weight of God's presence. The city's significance isn't architectural or political; it's theological. It matters because God chose it.
The "Selah" that follows invites a pause — let the declaration sink in. Glorious things are spoken of this city. Pause. Consider. The most significant declarations sometimes need silence after them. The weight of the statement requires a moment to land.
The rest of the psalm does something remarkable: it includes the nations. Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia — all are named as people who will be counted as born in Zion. The city of God isn't exclusive; it's the birthplace of all nations.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'glorious things' has God spoken over your life that you need to pause and receive?
- 2.How does the inclusion of all nations in Psalm 87 challenge exclusive understandings of God's people?
- 3.What does it mean to you to have a 'spiritual birthplace' that carries glory?
- 4.When was the last time you paused — really paused — to let a truth about God land?
Devotional
Glorious things are spoken of you, city of God. Pause.
Sometimes the most powerful thing Scripture does is declare something beautiful and then say: stop. Think about that. Selah. Don't rush past this. Let the glory land.
Jerusalem in this psalm isn't just a city — it's a symbol of belonging. The remarkable thing about Psalm 87 is what it does with the nations: it counts Egypt and Babylon — Israel's greatest oppressors — as children born in Zion. The city of God's glory becomes the birthplace of everyone. The most exclusive place becomes the most inclusive.
This is the opposite of tribalism. The city of God doesn't hoard glory; it radiates it. The glorious things spoken of Zion aren't about Zion's superiority over the nations but about Zion being the spiritual home of all nations. Everyone, the psalm says, was born here.
Glorious things are spoken of you too. Not just of the city — of you, as someone who belongs to the city of God. Your spiritual birthplace is glorious. Your address in God's kingdom carries weight. You were born in Zion, and glorious things are spoken of it.
Selah. Let that land.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Which is to be understood not of the city of Jerusalem literally,…
Glorious things are spoketh of thee, O city of God - Jerusalem, called the “city of God” as being the place of his…
Some make the first words of the psalm to be part of the title; it is a psalm or song whose subject is the holy…
Glorious things are spoken of thee This need not be limited to the utterance of Psa 87:87 ff., but may include the great…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture