Single lesson
Psalm 87: The LORD Loves the Gates of Zion
Psalms 87:1–7
Psalm 87 is a short song about Zion, the city of God. In this lesson, children will hear its strong images, notice who is speaking in different lines, and follow how the poem moves from praise to joyful words.
Before you teach
This psalm speaks about Zion as God’s city and says glorious things are spoken about her. It names several peoples and repeats the words, “This one was born there.” The psalm ends with singers and dancers speaking joyful words about Zion. The passage is poetry, so it uses images and repeated lines to make its message clear.
Students will be able to identify the speakers and images in Psalm 87 and explain that the psalm praises Zion as the city Yahweh loves, establishes, and where people are recorded and counted as “born there”.
Welcome: Hear the psalm’s big picture
5 minBegin by telling the group that Psalm 87 is a poem or song about Zion, called the city of God. Ask children to listen for repeated words and strong pictures such as mountains, gates, a city, people being counted, singers, dancers, and springs. Read the whole psalm aloud slowly once.
Psalms 87:1, Psalms 87:2, Psalms 87:3, Psalms 87:6, Psalms 87:7
Read and explain: God loves Zion
7 minRead verses 1 to 3 again. Point out that the psalm starts with God’s foundation in the holy mountains. Then it says Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Explain that “Zion” is called the city of God, and “glorious things” are spoken about her.
Psalms 87:1, Psalms 87:2, Psalms 87:3
Discuss: Who is speaking, and what is said about Zion?
6 minRead verses 4 to 6. Help children notice the words change. In verse 4, the speaker says, “I will record”. In verse 6, the psalm names Yahweh and says, “Yahweh will count, when he writes up the peoples”. The repeated line, “This one was born there”, is said in verses 4, 5, and 6, and the Most High himself will establish Zion.
Psalms 87:4, Psalms 87:5, Psalms 87:6
Make and respond: Picture the poem’s ending
7 minRead verse 7 and ask children what they can picture. The psalm ends with singers and dancers speaking together: “All my springs are in you.” Invite the group to respond by drawing one image from the psalm and adding a short line from the verses that matches their picture.
Psalms 87:7, Psalms 87:3
Closing: Trace the movement and message of the psalm
5 minReview the poem in order: God’s foundation in the holy mountains, God’s love for Zion, glorious things spoken about the city, the repeated words “This one was born there”, Yahweh counting the peoples, and joyful singing at the end. Ask each child to say one image or repeated line and what it shows about Zion in this psalm.
Psalms 87:1, Psalms 87:2, Psalms 87:3, Psalms 87:4, Psalms 87:5, Psalms 87:6, Psalms 87:7
Questions to explore
Which words show that Zion is important to Yahweh in this psalm?
Look for the lines that say Yahweh loves Zion’s gates and that glorious things are spoken about the city of God.
Psalms 87:2, Psalms 87:3
Who is speaking in verse 4, who is named in verse 6, and who speaks in verse 7?
Notice the first-person words “I will record” in verse 4, the words “Yahweh will count” in verse 6, and the singers and dancers who say, “All my springs are in you” in verse 7.
Psalms 87:4, Psalms 87:6, Psalms 87:7
What line is repeated about the peoples, and how does Yahweh’s counting help explain the psalm’s message?
Listen for the words “This one was born there” and connect them with Yahweh writing up the peoples in the middle of the psalm.
Psalms 87:4, Psalms 87:5, Psalms 87:6
Make, think or respond
Illustrated Zion Image Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils or markers
- Bible text of Psalm 87
- optional coloured pencils
Try it together
- Ask each child to choose one image from Psalm 87, such as mountains, gates, city, singers, dancers, or springs.
- Have them draw that image on one side of the paper or card.
- On the other side, help them copy a short line from the psalm that matches their picture.
- Invite each child to show their card and say whether it fits the beginning in Psalms 87:1, the middle in Psalms 87:4, or the ending in Psalms 87:7, and why.
This activity helps children notice the poem’s images and repeated lines, including the repeated words “This one was born there” and the joyful ending spoken about Zion.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, give two or three image choices from the psalm and let them dictate the verse line for an adult to write.
- For older children, ask them to sort the psalm into beginning, middle, and ending, then explain how the repeated line about being born there and Yahweh’s counting shape the psalm’s message.
An optional closing prayer
You could pray: “Lord God, thank you for this psalm. Help us notice your words carefully and rejoice in what you say about Zion. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Psalms 87
1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God. Selah.
4 I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me. Behold, Philistia, Tyre, and also Ethiopia: “This one was born there.”
5 Yes, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one was born in her;” the Most High himself will establish her.
6 Yahweh will count, when he writes up the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah.
7 Those who sing as well as those who dance say, “All my springs are in you.”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.