Psalms 102:16 AV
When the LORD shall build up Zion,
He shall appear in his glory.
Other translations
New International Version
For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
New Living Translation
For the LORD will rebuild Jerusalem. He will appear in his glory.
New American Standard Bible
For the LORD has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
Amplified Bible
For the LORD has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory and brilliance;
Christian Standard Bible
for the LORD will rebuild Zion; he will appear in his glory.
Contemporary English Version
You will rebuild the city of Zion. Your glory will be seen,
International Standard Version
When the LORD rebuilds Zion, he will appear in his glory.
JPS Tanakh 1917
When the LORD hath built up Zion, When He hath appeared in His glory;
Literal Standard Version
For YHWH has built Zion, He has been seen in His glory,
Study
Cross References
Psalm 51:18
In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Psalm 69:35
For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
Psalm 97:6
The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
Psalm 147:2
The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of 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.”
Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:2
For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.
Isaiah 61:3
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
x O x
When the Lord shall build up Zion
They take it for granted it would be done.
He shall appear in his glory
His glorious power, wisdom, and goodness shall be manifested to all the world.
x O x
When the Lord shall build up Zion
The Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, and Luther, render this, “Because the Lord hath built up Zion.” This also is the most natural and correct translation of the Hebrew.
The reference, however, may be to the future.
The psalmist may throw himself into the future, and – standing there – he may describe things as they will appear then – as already done.
He shall appear in his glory
The idea is that the building up of Zion would be an occasion in which God would manifest His glory.
In reference to the restoration of His people from bondage; in rebuilding Zion, then in ruins; in restoring the splendor of the place where he had been so long worshipped, He would display his true character as a God of glory, truth, power, and goodness.
As applied to the church in general, this would mean that when God comes to revive religion, to visit his people, to recover them from their backslidings, to convert and save sinners, he appears in his appropriate character as the God of his people – as a glorious God.
Then the perfections of his nature are most illustriously displayed; then he appears in his true character, as a God of mercy, grace, and salvation.
There is no scene on earth where the character of God is more gloriously exhibited than in a revival of true religion.
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When the Lord shall build
Or better, “Because the Lord hath built,” &c., as a reason for the effect on others; for in thus acting and hearing the humble, He is most glorious.
His glorious power, and wisdom, and goodness shall be manifested to all the world.
x O x
When the Lord shall build up Zion
The church of God, fallen down, and in a ruinous condition, as it may be said to be when the doctrines of the Gospel are departed from; the ordinances of it are corrupted and altered, or not attended to; the worship and discipline of the Lord’s house are neglected; great declensions in faith, love, and zeal, among the professors of religion, and but few instances of conversion:
And it may be said to be built up again, as it will be in the latter day, when the doctrines of grace will be revived; the ordinances will be administered in their primitive purity; great spirituality, holiness, and brotherly love, among the saints, and large numbers converted and brought into it: and this will be the work of Christ, the great master builder; the materials of this building are the saints, those lively stones which will now be laid with fair colours;
the ministers of the word will be the instruments that Christ will make use of in rebuilding his church; it is his Spirit, power, and grace, which will make all effectual; and he will have the glory, as follows: the Targum is, “for the city of Zion is built by the Word of the Lord:”
He shall appear in His glory
Or “shall be seen in His glory”, which will be upon His church and people, and on which there will be a defence, so that it shall continue;
And this will lie chiefly
▪︎ in the purity of Gospel truths,
▪︎ in the purity of ordinances,
▪︎ in the purity of worship;
▪︎ in the number of converts;
▪︎ in the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God upon them;
▪︎ in their peace,
▪︎ in their prosperity,
▪︎ in their unity,
▪︎ in their spirituality;
▪︎ in the presence of Christ with them, who will be seen in all the glory and majesty of his kingly office;
He will now reign before his ancients gloriously.
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When the Lord shall build up Zion
Rather, because the Lord has built up Zion. As the psalmist, in prophetic ecstasy, sees the future as past.
The verbs in this and the next verse are all preterite. He shall appear in his glory; rather, has appeared in his glory (see Isaiah 40:5)
We are here told what will take place, when that which is expected in Psalm 102:14 comes to pass, and at the same time the fulfilment of that which is longed for is thereby urged home upon God.
God’s own honour depends upon it, since the restoration of Jerusalem will become the means of the conversion of the world – a fundamental thought of Isaiah 40:1 (cf. more particularly Isaiah 59:19; Isaiah 60:2), which is also called to mind in the expression of this strophe.
This prophetic prospect (Isaiah 40:1-5) that the restoration of Jerusalem will take place simultaneously with the glorious parusia of God re-echoes here in a lyric form.
Psalm 102:17 states the ground of the reverence, just as Psalm 102:20 the ground of the praise.
The people of the Exile are called in Psalm 102:18 to be naked: homeless, powerless, honourless, and in the eyes of men, prospectless.
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When the Lord shall build up Zion
The church of God is fallen down, and in a ruinous condition, as it may be said to be,
▪︎ when the doctrines of the Gospel are departed from;
▪︎ when the ordinances of it are corrupted and altered, or not attended to;
▪︎ when the worship and discipline of the Lord’s house are neglected;
▪︎ when there are great declensions in faith, love, and zeal, among the professors of religion,
▪︎ and when there are only a few instances of conversion:
It may also be said that it will be built up again, as it will be in the latter day,
▪︎ when the doctrines of grace will be revived;
▪︎ when the ordinances will be administered in their primitive purity;
▪︎ when there will be great spirituality, holiness, and brotherly love, among the members,
▪︎ and when large numbers are converted and brought into it
This will be the work of the Christ, the great master builder; the materials of this building are the saints, those lively stones which will now be laid with fair colors
The ministers of the word will be the instruments that the Christ will make use of in rebuilding his church.
It is His Spirit, power, and grace, which will make all effectual; and He will have the glory, as follows: the targum is, “for the city of Zion is built by the Word of the Lord”
He shall appear in his glory;
Or “He shall be seen in his glory”, which will be upon His church and people, and on which there will be a defence, so that it shall continue; and this will lie chiefly
▪︎ in the purity of Gospel truths, ordinances, and worship;
▪︎ in the number of converts;
▪︎ in the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God upon them;
▪︎ in their peace, prosperity, unity, and spirituality;
▪︎ and in the presence of Christ with them, who will be seen in all the glory and majesty of His kingly office; He will now reign before his ancients gloriously.
x O x
Exposition
When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
As kings display their skill and power and wealth in the erection of their capitals, so would the Lord reveal the splendour of his attributes in the restoration of Zion, and so will He now glorify Himself in the edification of his church.
Never is the Lord more honourable in the eyes of his saints than when He prospers the church.
▪︎ To add converts to her,
▪︎ to train these for holy service,
▪︎ to instruct, illuminate, and sanctify the brotherhood,
▪︎ to bind all together in the bonds of Christian love,
▪︎ and to fill the whole body with the energy of the Holy Spirit — this is to build up Zion.
Other builders do but puff her up, and their wood, hay, and stubble come to an end almost as rapidly as it was heaped together; but what the Lord builds is surely and well done, and redounds to his glory.
Truly, when we see the church these days in a low state, and mark the folly, helplessness, and indifference of those who profess to be her builders;
and, on the other hand, the energy, craft, and influence of those opposed to her, we are fully prepared to own that it will be a glorious work of omnipotent grace should she ever rise to her pristine grandeur and purity.
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Explanatory notes and quaint sayings
When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
So sincere is God to His people,
▪︎ that He gives His own glory in hostage to them for their security;
▪︎ that His own robes of glory are locked up in their prosperity and salvation:
▪︎ that He will not, indeed He cannot, present Himself in all his magnificence and royalty, till he hath made up His intended thoughts of mercy to His people;
▪︎ that He is pleased to prorogue the time of His appearing in all His glory to the world till He hath actually accomplished their deliverance, that He and they may come forth together in their glory on the same day: “When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.”
The sun is ever glorious in the most cloudy day, but appears not so till it hath scattered the clouds that muffle it up from the sight of the lower world:
God is glorious when the world sees Him not: but His declarative glory then appears, when the glory of His mercy, truth and faithfulness break forth in His people’s salvation.
Now, what shame must this cover thy face with, O Christian, if you should not sincerely aim at your God’s glory, who loves you, and all His children so dearly, as to ship His own glory and your happiness in one bottom, that He cannot now lose the one, and save the other!
— William Gumall.
When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
There are two reasons why the Lord appears thus glorious in this work rather than in any other.
● First, because it is a work that infinitely pleaseth him. Men choose to appear in their clothes and behaviour suitable to the work that they are to be employed in:
▪︎ the woman of Tekoah must feign herself to be a mourner when she goes on a mournful message;
▪︎ and David, when he goes on a doleful journey, covers his face, and puts on mourning apparel;
▪︎ but when Solomon is to be crowned, he goes in all his royalty;
▪︎ and a bride adorns herself gloriously when she is to be married:
Verily so does the Lord, when he goes about a work He takes no pleasure in, He puts on his mourning apparel, He covers himself with a cloud and the heavens with blackness; when He is to do a strange work of judgment, then he mourns,
“How shall I give thee up Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.” Hosea 11:8 .
But the building of Zion doth infinitely please him, because Zion is as the apple of his eye to him;
▪︎ He bought Zion at a dear rate, with his own blood;
▪︎ He lays Zion in his bosom,
▪︎ He is ravished with Zion,
▪︎ Zion is his love, his dove, his fair one;
▪︎ He has chosen Zion,
▪︎ and He loves the gates of it, better than all the palaces of Jacob;
And being so pleasing to Him, no marvel if He put on all his glorious apparel when he is to adorn and build up Zion.
● And, secondly, it is because all the glory that he looks for to eternity must arise out of this one work of building Zion;
▪︎ this one work shall be the only monument of his glory to eternity:
▪︎ this goodly world, this heaven and earth, that you see and enjoy the use of, is set up only as a shop, as a workshop, to stand only for a week, for six or seven thousand years, (“a thousand years is with the Lord but as a day”); and when his work is done He will throw this piece of clay down again, and out of this He looks for no other glory than from a cabul, a land of dirt, or a shepherd’s cottage, or a gourd which springs up in a night and withers in a day;
But this piece He sets up for a higher end, to be the eternal mansion of His holiness and honour; this is His metropolis, His temple, His house where His fire and furnace is, His court, His glorious high throne, and therefore His glory is much concerned in this work.
▪︎ When Nebuchadnezzar would have a city for the honour of His kingdom, and the glory of His majesty, he will make it a stately piece.
▪︎ Solomon made all his kingdom very rich and glorious, but he made his court, and especially his throne, another manner of thing, so stately that the like was not to be seen in any other kingdom;
▪︎ and therefore no wonder though He appear in His glory in building up of that, which we may boldly say must be one day made as glorious as His wisdom can contrive, and his power bring to pass.
— Stephen Marshall, in a Sermon preached to the Right Honourable the House of Peers, entitled “God’s Master-Piece,” 1645.
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Hints for pastors and laypersons
● God is Zion’s purchaser, architect, builder, inhabitant, Lord.
▪︎ Zion built up. Conversions frequent; confessions numerous; union firm; edification solid; missions extended.
▪︎ God glorified. In its very foundation; by its ministry; by difficulties and enemies; by poor workers, and poor materials; and even by our failures.
▪︎ Hope excited. Because we may expect the Lord to glorify himself.
● Inquiry suggested.
Am I concerned, as built, or building? not merely doctrinally, but experimentally?
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
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