Psalms 87:4

4. I will make mention As examples.

Rahab Or, the sea monster, the people of tumultuous violence; a title poetically given to Egypt in the later books, (Psalms 89:10; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 30:7,) where “strength” in the common version is Rahab in the Hebrew, and seems to be an allusion to the inactivity of the crocodile combined with his proverbial strength and violence. Lowth translates: “Rahab the inactive;” and Gesenius, “Violence, or, the violent, they sit still.” See Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2.

Babylon Hebrew, Babel, the first of the kingdoms, (Genesis 10:10,) and now the ruling power of western Asia.

To them that know me Rather, Of them that know me. He speaks of them as of nations to whom had been given great opportunity to know the true God, one the ruling power in the south and the other in the north and east. Both in turn had held Jehovah’s people in bondage, and from both had they been delivered by most signal manifestations of God. See Isaiah 19:21: “And the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day.”

Philistia A strong military people on the southwest coast of Palestine, the constant enemy of Israel.

Tyre The chief city of Phoenicia on the northwest coast, and the great commercial city of the world; once the friendly ally, now the jealous enemy, of the Hebrew power.

Ethiopia Hebrew, Cush, from the father of the numerous Cushite race, (Genesis 10:7,) the name applied to the country east of the Euphrates, (Genesis 2:13,) afterward to Arabia, (Numbers 12:1; 1 Chronicles 21:16; Hebrews 3:7,) and also to “ Ethiopia” proper, or the African country south of Egypt. Psalms 68:31; Isaiah 43:3; Isaiah 45:14. In the widest sense it denotes southern country, on account of the dark colour of the inhabitants. In the text it means either Arabia Felix or Ethiopia proper.

This man was born there The point of the allusion is, to the honour which a man derives from being a native citizen of any renowned country, or that a government feels in claiming that such or such a man was one of her native born sons. Thus seven illustrious cities claimed the honour of having given birth to Homer. See Acts 16:37; Acts 22:25-28. The argument is, that if citizenship in any given country confers honour, much more, by the same rule, shall Jerusalem be honoured, for of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her, literally, A man and a man were born in her. The repetition gives intensity, and denotes that multitudes, or vast numbers, shall be born in her, so that both the quality and greater numbers of her “born” citizens shall give her the pre-eminence. The spiritual sense must predominate here, the “Jerusalem” and the “Zion” representing the Church, (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22,) and the native born citizen he that is born of God. John 3:5.

Shall establish her Comp, Psalms 87:1. God has founded his city, or Church, and this is the guaranty of her stability and renown.