Original Word: יְסוּדָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ycuwdah
Pronunciation: yeh-soo-DAH
Phonetic Spelling: (yes-oo-daw')
KJV: foundation
NASB: foundation
Word Origin: [feminine of H3246 (יְסוּד - began)]

1. a foundation

foundation

Feminine of ycud; a foundation -- foundation.

see HEBREW ycud

Word Origin
fem. of yesud
Definition
foundation
NASB Translation
foundation (1).

יְסוּדָה noun feminine foundation = city founded; יְסוּדָתוֺ בְּהַרֲרֵיקִֿדֶשׁ Psalm 87:1 ("" שַׁעֲרֵי צִיּוֺן ׳אֹהֵב י).

Biblical Usage

In the Hebrew Scriptures, יְסוּדָה appears twice, each time drawing attention to a decisive act of establishing something sacred and enduring. Psalm 87:1 sets the tone: “His foundation is on the holy mountains.” Here, the word underlines the divine initiative in choosing Zion and anchoring His purposes in a specific locality. Zechariah 4:9 recounts the post-exilic rebuilding of the temple: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it.” The term therefore spans both the Davidic worship center and the second-temple restoration, framing the entire narrative arc of Israel’s worship life.

Historical Context

Psalm 87 looks back to Davidic and Solomonic times when Zion became the liturgical heart of Israel. The foundation has already been laid; the city’s spiritual identity is settled. In Zechariah, the exiles’ return requires a literal re-laying of that foundation. The word thus stands at two pivotal historical thresholds: initial election and post-judgment renewal. Both moments call the people to remember that their stability depends upon God’s prior, gracious groundwork.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Initiative: יְסוּדָה highlights that God, not human ingenuity, establishes what endures (Psalm 127:1).
2. Covenant Continuity: The same term straddles pre-exilic and post-exilic periods, affirming the unbroken line of covenant faithfulness despite national collapse.
3. Sacral Focus: The foundation is linked explicitly to worship—a city and a temple—reinforcing that true security stems from rightly ordered relationship with God.

Christological Foreshadowing

New Testament writers seize upon “foundation” language to present Jesus Christ as the final, living cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20). The physical foundations of Zion and Zerubbabel’s temple anticipate the incarnate foundation in whom “all the building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). Thus יְסוּדָה becomes a signpost pointing forward to the Messiah whose finished work secures an eternal dwelling place for God among His people.

Ministry and Practical Application

• Leadership: Zerubbabel’s perseverance encourages modern ministry leaders to finish tasks God assigns, trusting that the hands that begin a work can, by God’s power, also complete it.
• Worship Focus: Psalm 87 reminds congregations that programs and strategies are secondary to rooting communal life in God’s chosen foundation—His presence among His people.
• Personal Discipleship: Believers are urged to examine whether their lives are anchored in the unshakable foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11), rejecting substitutes that promise stability yet crumble under testing.

Related Scriptures for Study

Psalm 87; Zechariah 4; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 7:24-27; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-6.

יְ֝סוּדָת֗וֹ יִסְּד֛וּ יסדו יסודתו yə·sū·ḏā·ṯōw yesudaTo yəsūḏāṯōw yis·sə·ḏū yisseDu yissəḏūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts