Bible Strands
Psalms 87:2
The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The sons of Korah compose this liturgical song for corporate worship, addressing the assembled community to declare Yahweh’s sovereign preference for Zion as His chosen dwelling.
The words — אֹהֵב ('o.Hev) translates literally as "[is] loving," and שַׁעֲרֵי (sha.'a.Rei) means "[the] gates of," establishing the text's direct claim of divine affection for Zion's fortified entrances over other locations.
The thread — The preference for a single divinely chosen location echoes Deuteronomy 12:5 and Psalm 132:13, while contrasting with Psalm 78:67, which records God’s rejection of the tent of Joseph and the tribe of Ephraim.
Why it lands — The verse asserts a factual hierarchy of divine favor that requires the reader to acknowledge Yahweh’s right to select a specific geographic center for His presence without appealing to human merit or geographic determinism.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 12:5 Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
- Psalms 132:13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:
- Psalms 78:67 He rejected the tent of Joseph and refused the tribe of Ephraim.
- 2 Chronicles 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
- Isaiah 14:32 What answer will be given to the envoys of that nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, where His afflicted people will find refuge.”
- Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant called by the LORD.