Unit 1 (v. 4a): God names foreign peoples among those who know him
The speaker portrays God saying he will “record” or list Rahab and Babylon among people who “acknowledge” him. The claim is not merely that these places exist, but that people associated with them are counted as belonging in the group that knows God.
Unit 2 (v. 4b): More nations are pointed out, and a birth-status line is spoken
The text calls attention—“Behold”—to Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia, and then voices a declaration: “This one was born there.” The statement reads like an official note attached to individuals, linking them to a place by “birth” language.
Unit 3 (v. 5a): Zion is the place with many such birth-declarations
The psalm shifts: “of Zion it will be said” the same kind of thing, but now in plural force—“this one and that one was born in her.” Zion becomes the central reference point for repeated, wide-ranging belonging.
Unit 4 (v. 5b): Zion’s standing is grounded in God’s establishment
The final line explains why Zion can bear this weight: “The Most High himself will establish her.” Zion’s role is not credited to Zion’s own strength, but to God’s firm founding and support.
