This verse is often misinterpreted as endorsing physical birth in Jerusalem as the sole criterion for salvation or belonging to God's people, ignoring its metaphorical emphasis on spiritual regeneration and inclusion of Gentiles alongside Jews. Others erroneously apply it exclusively to ethnic Israel, overlooking the psalm's broader vision of multinational citizenship in Zion, or twist it into supersessionist claims that the church wholly replaces Israel without continuity, diminishing the prophetic anticipation of restored Jerusalem in God's redemptive plan.
Psalms 87:5
King James Version (1769)
5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
Psalms 87:5 portrays Zion, the holy city of God, as the spiritual birthplace of His people, where both native inhabitants and diverse outsiders alike are recognized as 'born' into divine citizenship by God's sovereign declaration. The 'Highest' Himself establishes her enduring status, underscoring themes of divine election, unity among God's redeemed from every nation, and Jerusalem's exalted role as the center of God's kingdom in prophetic fulfillment.