I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
All Commentaries on Psalms 87:4 Go To Psalms 87
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Rahab. Egypt To this Sion, which is the Church of God, many shall resort from all nations. (Challoner)
Christ gives his apostles command to preach to all, Matthew xxviii., and Luke xxiv. 27. (Worthington)
Some have supposed that Rahab, who received the spies, is here put, to signify the Chanaanites. But her name is written Reb; and the word before us is Rahab, (Haydock) signifying "pride "(Menochius) or Egypt; particularly the Delta, which is still called Rib. (Calmet)
Me. I will receive into my Church not only the Jews, but also the most abandoned nations. (Haydock)
Foreigners. Philistines, Psalm lxxxii. 8. (Menochius)
Were. Hebrew, "this man was born there. "(Haydock)
In Christ there is no distinction of nations, Romans x. 12. The Jews will never show us the completion of this prophecy any where but in the Church. (Calmet)
It is spoken of as past, to denote the certainty of the event. (Worthington) Ver. 5. Shall not Sion say The meaning is, that Sion, viz., the Church, shall not only be able to commemorate this or that particular person of renown born in her, but also to glory in great multitudes of people and princes, of her communion; who have been foretold in the writings of the prophets, and registered in the writings of the apostles. (Challoner)
We might also translate, "shall it not be said of Sion? "(Worthington)
Some may have read dicetur, instead of dicet. "Shall not a man say to Sion, yea, a man is born in her? "(Haydock)
Septuagint have, "mother "metre, which St. Jerome says should be meti, shall not. Other nations may have produced some great men. But Sion has given birth to the Man-God, who was brought into the world in its vicinity, and preached and rose again there. (Berthier)
She has had many heroes, and has been founded by the Highest. (Menochius)
Christ, both God and man, is the builder of his Church, and people, in admiration, recount how many great personages have embraced her communion. (Worthington)
John the Baptist, a man sent by God, announced the Messias; who, according to his humanity, was born of a virgin, among the people of Sion; while, by his divine nature, He was the most High. (Denis the Carthusian) (Bellarmine)
See Amama.
Sion, or Jerusalem, shall be the mother of an infinite multitude, (Isaias xlix. 18.) the metropolis of Judea. Septuagint, Arabic, read, "mother "in this sense. People deemed it an honour to be born there. (Calmet)
Christ "became man for our sakes, being God before us. How do we know this? The Lord has told us in the writings of peoples. "(St. Augustine) (Du Hamel)
