87:4 those who know me. There were occasional foreigners, like Rahab and Naaman, who worshiped the Lord during the Old Testament period (cf. Ex. 12:38). This amazing verse looks forward to whole foreign nations bowing down to God.

mention. This formal introduction to the divine pronouncement uses the idea of the “book of the living” (Ps. 69:28; cf. Ex. 32:32; Ps. 139:16; Is. 4:3; Rev. 21:24–27).

Rahab and Babylon. Rahab is a name for Egypt (Is. 30:7). Egypt and Babylon were the two superpowers who continually fought against Israel.

Philistia. Israel’s traditional enemy on the Mediterranean coast west of Judah.

Tyre. An affluent sea power north of Israel.

Cush. Biblical Cush is the remote region south of Egypt, including parts of modern Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan.