Psalms 78:68

The notation that God 'chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved' functions within Psalm 78's retrospective history as the theological resolution of Israel's apostasy cycle: God's election of Judah and Zion replaces the rejected northern sanctuary at Shiloh (v. 60–61) and the tribe of Ephraim (v. 67). The language of divine love (ahev) for Zion is unusual — divine election is more commonly described in terms of choice (bachar) — and connects to the Jerusalem Zion theology of Psalms 87 and 132 where YHWH has an emotional attachment to the holy mountain. The election of Judah implies the Davidic dynasty whose choice is narrated in verse 70–72, making the verse part of the psalm's movement toward the Davidic ideal. Early Christian interpretation read the Davidic election of the psalm as the basis for Jesus' Davidic sonship and the transfer of election to the new community.