Zion | History, Significance, Map, & Facts (2024)

hill, Jerusalem

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Zion, in the Old Testament, the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem. It was the site of the Jebusite city captured by David, king of Israel and Judah, in the 10th century bce (2 Samuel 5:6–9) and established by him as his royal capital. Some scholars believe that the name also belonged to the “stronghold of Zion” taken by David (2 Samuel 5:7), which may have been the fortress of the city. The Jewish historian Josephus, in the 1st century ce, identified Zion with the western hill of Jerusalem, where most of the city lay in his day. This incorrect identification of the site was retained until the late 19th or early 20th century, when the site of Zion was identified as the eastern hill (modern Ophel). The site was not included in the walls of Jerusalem’s 16th-century fortifications.

The etymology and meaning of the name are obscure. It appears to be a pre-Israelite Canaanite name of the hill upon which Jerusalem was built; the name “mountain of Zion” is common. In biblical usage, however, “Mount Zion” often means the city rather than the hill itself. Zion appears in the Old Testament 152 times as a title of Jerusalem; over half of these occurrences appear in two books, the Book of Isaiah (46 times) and that of Psalms (38 times). It appears seven times in the New Testament and five times in quotations from the Old Testament.

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In the Old Testament, Zion is overwhelmingly a poetic and prophetic designation and is infrequently used in ordinary prose. It usually has emotional and religious overtones, but it is not clear why the name Zion rather than the name Jerusalem should carry these overtones. The religious and emotional qualities of the name arise from the importance of Jerusalem as the royal city and the city of the Temple. Mount Zion is the place where Yahweh, the God of Israel, dwells (Isaiah 8:18; Psalm 74:2), the place where he is king (Isaiah 24:23) and where he has installed his king, David (Psalm 2:6). It is thus the seat of the action of Yahweh in history.

In the Old Testament the city of Jerusalem is personified as a woman and addressed or spoken of as “the daughter of Zion,” always in a context charged with feeling aroused by either of two ideas that stand in opposition to each other: the destruction of Jerusalem or its deliverance. After Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 bce, the Israelites could not forget Zion (Psalm 137), and, in the prophecy after the Babylonian Exile of the Jews, Zion is the scene of Yahweh’s messianic salvation. It is to Zion that the exiles will be restored (Jeremiah 3:14), and there they will find Yahweh (Jeremiah 31). Bearing all these connotations, Zion came to mean the Jewish homeland, symbolic of Judaism or Jewish national aspirations (whence the name Zionism for the 19th–20th-century movement to establish a Jewish national centre or state in Palestine).

Although the name of Zion is rare in the New Testament, it has been frequently used in Christian literature and hymns as a designation for the heavenly city or for the earthly city of Christian faith and fraternity.

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Zion | History, Significance, Map, & Facts (2024)

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Zion | History, Significance, Map, & Facts? ›

Zion

Zion
The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David (2 Samuel 5:7, 1 Chronicles 11:5; 1 Kings 8:1, 2 Chronicles 5:2) and later for the Temple Mount, but its meaning has shifted and it is now used as the name of ancient Jerusalem's Western Hill.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mount_Zion
, in the Old Testament, the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem. It was the site of the Jebusite city captured by David, king of Israel and Judah, in the 10th century bce (2 Samuel 5:6–9) and established by him as his royal capital.

What was the significance of Zion? ›

The name Zion is often used to describe a place appointed by the Lord where his followers can live and serve God. Scripture refers to Zion as the “City of Holiness” and a “city of refuge” where the Lord protects his people from the evils in the world.

What are some biblical facts about Zion? ›

Zion is a place of holiness and beauty (see Psalm 50:2; Isaiah 4:5; D&C 82:14). The Lord is the founder and sustainer of Zion (see Isaiah 14:32; 60:14; D&C 97:19). In his day Enoch built a city of Zion, which was translated and taken from the earth (see Moses 7:18–21).

What are some interesting facts about Mount Zion? ›

Half of the Mount Zion is in the Old City, in the Jewish and Armenian Quarters. The grave of King David is at the top of Mount Zion. In the past there was a small cable car that connected the mountain to the valley below and the Old City. Today the cable car room is a museum inside an old hospital building.

What is the meaning of Zion in history? ›

In the Hebrew Bible, the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem are both referred to as Zion. Other religions use the word Zion to mean "utopia" or "holy place."

What was God's promise to Zion? ›

“Here we find a promise that if they would return to the Lord, their past sins would be forgotten, and he would again receive them as his people and bless them abundantly, and they should continue to be his covenant people.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:180.)

What does Zion symbolize in Hebrews? ›

In Old Testament, Zion is the city of David, the earthly Jerusalem - 1 Ki 8:1; 1 Chr 11:56; 2 Chr 5:2. Mount Zion as described in Hebrews 12:22–24 is the heavenly New Jerusalem. Mount always symbolises capital and when it is Mount Zion will be the dwelling place of the God.

What is an interesting fact about Zion? ›

But many guests don't realize that Zion is actually home to the second-largest freestanding arch in the world! This might just be the least-known of the Zion National Park facts on this list! To get to this natural attraction, you'll need to head to the Kolob Canyon section of the park. There you'll find Kolob Arch.

What does God say about Zion? ›

[17] So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. [21] For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

What does the name Zion mean? ›

Zion's roots are varied, finding nourishing foundations in both the Hebrew ṣiyyôn, meaning "castle," as well as ṣiyya, meaning "desert." However, its most enduring meaning is the "highest point," in reference to Jerusalem's ancient citadel conquered by David.

Is Zion the garden of Eden? ›

The mountain upon which Ezekiel is set in Ezek. 40:2 is the Garden of Eden only by virtue of its identification with Mount Zion. In other words, the Zion of chs. 40-48 differs from the older conceptions by a factor borrowed from the para- dise traditions.

What happened to Zion in the Bible? ›

According to the Book of Samuel, Mount Zion was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, then renamed and partially rebuilt by him as the "City of David", where he erected his palace.

Does Zion mean heaven? ›

Although the name of Zion is rare in the New Testament, it has been frequently used in Christian literature and hymns as a designation for the heavenly city or for the earthly city of Christian faith and fraternity.

Who is the daughter of Zion in the Bible? ›

Quick Reference. Biblical phrase: 'Daughter of Zion' generally refers to Jerusalem or the Jewish people, as, for example, in, 'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion … lo, your king comes to you' (Zech 9. 9).

What was Zion renamed in the Bible? ›

According to the narrative of 2 Samuel 5, Mount Zion held the Jebusite fortress of the same name that was conquered by David and was renamed the City of David. That specific hill ("mount") is one of the many squat hills that form Jerusalem.

Why the people of God are called Zion? ›

Enoch gives a succinct answer: “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18; emphasis added).

What does it mean when the Jews return to Zion? ›

'Zion returnees') is an event recorded in Ezra–Nehemiah of the Hebrew Bible, in which the Jews of the Kingdom of Judah—subjugated by the Neo-Babylonian Empire—were freed from the Babylonian captivity following the Persian conquest of Babylon.

What is the significance of Zion to the Mormons? ›

In its broadest sense, Zion is regarded by Latter Day Saints as an association of the "pure in heart." Central to Zion's philosophical underpinnings was a sense of community cohesiveness and unity, a concept which seemed to be unraveling in the world of Jacksonian Democracy.

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