Psalm 87:2–3 says,
"The Lord
loves the gates of Zion
more than
all the other dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are
said of you,
city of God.”
According to this verse,
Zion is synonymous with
city of God,
and it is a place that God loves.
Zion is Jerusalem.
Mount Zion
is the high hill on which
David built a citadel.
The word Zion occurs over 150 times in the Bible.
It essentially means “fortification”
and has the idea of being
"raised up”
as a “monument.”
Zion is described both
as the
city of David
and the
city of God.
As the Bible progresses, the word
Zion expands in scope
and takes on an additional,
spiritual meaning.
The first mention of Zion in the Bible is 2 Samuel 5:7:
"David captured the fortress
of Zion--
which is the
City of David.”
Zion was originally
an ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem.
After David’s conquest
of the fortress,
Jerusalem became a possession
of Israel.
The royal palace was
built there,
and Zion/Jerusalem became
the
seat of power
in
Israel’s kingdom..
When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem,
the meaning of
Zion expanded further
to
include the temple area
(Psalm 2:6; 48:2, 11–12; 132:13).
This is the meaning found in the prophecy
of Jeremiah 31:6,
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God.”
In the Old Testament Zion is used as a
name for the city of Jerusalem
(Isaiah 40:9),
the land of Judah (Jeremiah 31:12),
and the nation of Israel as a whole (Zechariah 9:13).
The word Zion
is also used in a theological or
spiritual sense in Scripture.
In the Old Testament Zion refers figuratively to
Israel as the people of God
(Isaiah 60:14).
In the New Testament,
Zion refers to God’s
spiritual kingdom.
We have not come to Mount Sinai, says the apostle, but
“to Mount Zion and
to the
city of the living God,
the
heavenly Jerusalem”
(Hebrews 12:22).
Peter,
quoting Isaiah 28:16,
refers to
Christ as the Cornerstone of Zion:
"See,
I lay a stone in
Zion,
a
chosen
and
precious cornerstone,
and the
one who trusts in him
will
never be put to shame”
(1 Peter 2:6).
Mount Zion as a geographical area was
currently the center of much dispute.
The Bible is clear
Zion will be the sole possession
of the Lord
Jesus, and Zion—the nation and the city--
will be
restored.
"Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength,
O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem,
the
holy city;
For the
uncircumcised and the unclean
Will no longer come into you”
(Isaiah 52:1).
And “the children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet, and
will call you
the
City of the LORD,
Zion of
the
Holy One of Israel”
(Isaiah 60:14).
Psalm 87:2–3 says,
"The Lord
loves the gates of Zion
more than
all the other dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are
said of you,
city of God.”
According to this verse,
Zion is synonymous with
city of God,
and it is a place that God loves.
Zion is Jerusalem.
Mount Zion
is the high hill on which
David built a citadel.
The word Zion occurs over 150 times in the Bible.
It essentially means “fortification”
and has the idea of being
"raised up”
as a “monument.”
Zion is described both
as the
city of David
and the
city of God.
As the Bible progresses, the word
Zion expands in scope
and takes on an additional,
spiritual meaning.
The first mention of Zion in the Bible is 2 Samuel 5:7:
"David captured the fortress
of Zion--
which is the
City of David.”
Zion was originally
an ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem.
After David’s conquest
of the fortress,
Jerusalem became a possession
of Israel.
The royal palace was
built there,
and Zion/Jerusalem became
the
seat of power
in
Israel’s kingdom..
When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem,
the meaning of
Zion expanded further
to
include the temple area
(Psalm 2:6; 48:2, 11–12; 132:13).
This is the meaning found in the prophecy
of Jeremiah 31:6,
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God.”
In the Old Testament Zion is used as a
name for the city of Jerusalem
(Isaiah 40:9),
the land of Judah (Jeremiah 31:12),
and the nation of Israel as a whole (Zechariah 9:13).
The word Zion
is also used in a theological or
spiritual sense in Scripture.
In the Old Testament Zion refers figuratively to
Israel as the people of God
(Isaiah 60:14).
In the New Testament,
Zion refers to God’s
spiritual kingdom.
We have not come to Mount Sinai, says the apostle, but
“to Mount Zion and
to the
city of the living God,
the
heavenly Jerusalem”
(Hebrews 12:22).
Peter,
quoting Isaiah 28:16,
refers to
Christ as the Cornerstone of Zion:
"See,
I lay a stone in
Zion,
a
chosen
and
precious cornerstone,
and the
one who trusts in him
will
never be put to shame”
(1 Peter 2:6).
Mount Zion as a geographical area was
currently the center of much dispute.
The Bible is clear
Zion will be the sole possession
of the Lord
Jesus, and Zion—the nation and the city--
will be
restored.
"Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength,
O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem,
the
holy city;
For the
uncircumcised and the unclean
Will no longer come into you”
(Isaiah 52:1).
And “the children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet, and
will call you
the
City of the LORD,
Zion of
the
Holy One of Israel”
(Isaiah 60:14).
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