Why Does God Refer to Jerusalem as His Daughter?
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The first reference to Jerusalem as a daughter occurs in the Psalms. Psalm 9:13, 14 says, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.” The phrase, “daughter of Zion” is a metaphor used to symbolize the relationship between God and people. The phrase is used at least fifty times in the Old Testament to refer to the Israelites. However, the word “daughter” is sometimes used to describe other nations as well (“daughter of Egypt” [Jeremiah 46:11, 24] or “daughter of Babylon” [Psalm 137:8, Isaiah 47:1]). Usually in these cases it is simply referring to the nation itself. Sometimes the phrase is used about God’s people in a favorable way and sometimes in an unfavorable way. The emphasis, however, is not upon the people themselves, but the relationship that they have with God—one of a Father and daughter. The phrase is mostly found in the prophets, and Jeremiah uses it the most in the book of Lamentations.
We get more information about this metaphorical relationship between God and his people in Ezekiel 16. Here, God describes his people as a female child that had been tossed out in an effort of abortion. Abandoned, rejected, naked, cold, and still bloody, God rescued this child from a likely death. Ezekiel describes God as rearing, clothing, giving jewelry to, and even providing a permanent household for this rejected child. God says that He held nothing back for her profit. The result was that this young child grew into a beautiful woman. However, the response of the woman to God’s generosity was to trust in her own beauty and play the harlot. She rejected the one who rescued and blessed her with so many wonderful things.
Jesus refers to the people of Jerusalem as God’s daughter in Matthew 21:5. This is from a prophecy in Zecheriah 9:9. The prophecy is related to the triumphal entry of the Messiah into the city of Jerusalem and in this context the phrase refers to the people of Jerusalem. Today, the daughter of God is the church. She is the bride of Christ (Eph.5:21ff). She will be presented to Jesus in heaven without spot and blameless (Revelation 21:2, 9).
The metaphors of the Bible show us that God speaks to us in terms that we can understand. We understand the relationship between a father and daughter. In doing so, we learn a little more about God and who He is. The Bible uses this type of accommodative language frequently—language that uses examples that we can understand so God may teach us. This is one of the reasons why Jesus spoke in parables. God makes every effort on his part to try to communicate with us in ways that we can understand. However, some say that you can’t understand the Bible because it is too difficult. God’s use of metaphors demonstrates the opposite. God wants us to understand His word. He speaks to us in ways that we can understand. The problem is usually on our part; we simply do not want to hear. In a beautiful illustration of this very point, Moses says to the children of Israel, “For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deut.30:11-14). What will your response be to God’s word today?