Zion (also transliterated Sion, Tzion or Tsion) is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem.^[1][2] The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE. It commonly referred to a specific mountain near Jerusalem (Mount Zion), on which stood a Jebusite fortress of the same name that was conquered by David and was named the City of David. The term Tzion came to designate the area of Jerusalem where the fortress stood, and later became a metonym for Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem and generally, the World to Come.

In Kabbalah the more esoteric reference is made to Tzion^[3] being the spiritual point from which reality emerges, located in the Holy of Holies of the First, Second and Third Temple.

The etymology of the word Zion (ṣiyôn) is uncertain.^{[2][1] [4]} Mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Samuel (2:5-7) as the name of the Jebusite fortress conquered by King David, its origin likely predates the Israelites.^[2][1] If Semitic, it may be derived from the Hebrew root ''ṣiyyôn ("castle") or the Arabic root ṣiyya ("dry land") or the Arabic šanā ("protect" or "citadel").^[1][4] It might also be related to the Arabic root ṣahî ("ascend to the top") or ṣuhhay ("tower" or "the top of the mountain").^[4] A non-Semitic relationship to the Hurrian word šeya ("river" or "brook") has also been suggested.^[4]

The form Tzion (Hebrew: ציון; Tiberian vocalization: Ṣiyyôn) appears 108 times in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), and once as HaTzion.^[5] It is spelled with a Tzadi and not Zayin.^[6] The commonly used form is an adopted mis-transliteration in English based on German orthography,^[7] where z is always pronounced [t͡s] (e.g. "zog" [t͡soːk]), hence "Tsion" in German literature. A tz would only be used if the preceding vowel is short, and hence use of Zion in 19th century German Biblical criticism. This orthography was adopted because in German the correct transliteration can only be rendered from the one instance of HaTzion in Kings II 23:17, where the a vowel is followed by a double consonant tz.

Some examples from the book of Psalms, which have been frequently recited and memorized by Jews for centuries, state:

• "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Tzion." (Psalms 137:1)
• "For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Tzion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof; O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that repayeth thee as thou hast served us." (Psalms 137:3-8, italics for words not in the original Hebrew)
• "The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcast of Israel. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Tzion." (Psalms 147:2,12)

Mentioned 26 times in the Tanakh, some^[who?] consider the small hill in Jerusalem (whether Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, or another hill) to be what is meant by the Biblical phrase "Daughter of Tzion" — with the location of the actual tall mountain (as described in the Psalms) remaining mysterious. Another cryptic verse, Zechariah 4:7, seems to refer to this hill, but is also ambiguous, depending on the punctuation. In Hebrew it reads "Mi attah Har-haGadol lifnei Zerubbabel l'mishor..."; the plain text has no punctuation, but the Masoretic Text puts a pause following Har-haGadol, to mean "Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, [you will become just] a plain..." However, if the pause is placed following Zerubbabel, it would mean instead "What are you, "great mountain" before Zerubbabel? [You are just] a plain..." Since this hill is where Zerubbabel built the Second Temple, it appears to be a reference to the "Daughter of Zion" (the hill), as distinct from Tzion (the mountain).

However, "Daughter of Zion", and a variety of other names like "Daughter of Jerusalem", might also be interpreted as referring to Jerusalem and the Jewish people personified, instead of a geographical feature.^[8]

In the New Testament the Daughter of Zion is the bride of Christ, also known as the Church, according to Paul.^{[citation needed]} In this sense the lower hill with the temple mount is of course the Daughter of Zion as a geographical or 'earthly' manifestation of spiritual reality, as well as the lively and alive place of the human congregation.

Sayhun (صهيون, Ṣahyūn or Ṣihyūn), is the Arabic (and Syriac) word for Zion.^[9][10] Drawing on biblical tradition, it is one of the names accorded to Jerusalem in Arabic and Islamic tradition.^[10][11]

The Kaaba in Mecca was also called Sahyun or Zion by Muhammed, the prophet of Islam.^[11] Islamic scholarship sees many passages of the Bible that refer to the desert or eschatological Zion as references to the holy site of Mecca.^[12] For example, the reference to the "precious cornerstone" of the new Jerusalem in the Book of Isaiah 28:16 is identified in Islamic scholarship as the cornerstone of the Kaaba.^[12] This interpretation is said by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyah (1292-1350) to have come from the People of the Book, though earlier Christian scholarship identifies the cornerstone with Jesus, the son of God.^[12]

The term "Zionism" coined by Austrian Nathan Birnbaum, was derived from the German rendering of Tzion in his journal Selbstemanzipation (Self Emancipation) in 1890.^[13] Zionism as a political movement started in 1897 and supported a 'national home', and later a state, for the Jewish people in Palestine. The Zionist movement declared the re-establishment of its State of Israel in 1948, following the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Since then and with varying ideologies and dogma, Zionists have focused on developing and protecting this state.

While Zionism is based in part upon Torah mitzvot linking the Jewish people to the Biblical land of Israel, the modern movement is largely secular. Indeed, until 1967 the Tzion of the Tanakh (the Old City of Jerusalem) was not even within the boundaries of Israel (although Mount Zion itself, was).

In 2005, Ralph Uwazuruike from Nigeria pushed for the creation of the already disputed state of Biafra for the Igbo people. He approached the Israeli government to support this movement on the basis that Israel is the long lost home of the Igbos.

The Jewish longing for Zion, starting with the deportation and enslavement of Jews during the Babylonian captivity, was adopted as a metaphor by Christian Black slaves in the United States, and after the Civil War by blacks who were still oppressed. Thus, Zion symbolizes a longing by wandering peoples for a safe homeland. This could be an actual place such as Ethiopia for Rastafarians or Israel for some of the Igbos in Nigeria for example. For others, it has taken on a more spiritual meaning—a safe spiritual homeland, like in heaven, or a kind of peace of mind in one's present life.

I say fly away home to Zion, fly away home...One bright morning when my work is over, man will fly away home...

— Rastaman Chant, Bob Marley

In the Rastafari movement, "Zion" stands for a utopian place of unity, peace and freedom, as opposed to "Babylon", the oppressing and exploiting system of the western world and a place of evil.

For Rastafarians, Zion is to be found in Africa, and more specifically in Ethiopia, where the term is also in use. Some Rastas believe themselves to represent the real Children of Israel in modern times, and their goal is to repatriate to Africa, or to Zion. Rasta reggae is peppered with references to Zion; among the best-known examples are the Bob Marley songs '"Zion Train," "Iron Lion Zion", the Bunny Wailer song "Rastaman" ("The Rasta come from Zion, Rastaman a Lion!"), The Melodians song "Rivers of Babylon" (based on Psalm 137:1,3,4), the Bad Brains song "Leaving Babylon", the Damian Marley song featuring Nas; "Road to Zion," The Abyssinians' "Forward Unto Zion" and Kiddus I's "Graduation In Zion," which is featured in the 1977 cult roots rock reggae film "Rockers." Reggae groups such as Steel Pulse and Cocoa Tea also have many references to Zion in their various songs. In recent years, such references have also crossed over into pop and rock music thanks to artists like O.A.R. "To Zion Goes I", " Sublime, Lauryn Hill, Boney M. (Rivers of Babylon), Fluid Minds "Zion", Dreadzone with the reggae-tinged track "Zion Youth.", P.O.D. with song "Set Your Eyes to Zion (but P.O.D with a Christian viewpoint: Zion referring to the spiritual kingdom of God), Trevor Hall with song "To Zion", and Australian roots reggae outfit Vindan and The Zion Band, also Alcyon Massive (a reggae/psychedelic band in Southern Oregon) wrote a song titled "Zion" which is currently very popular.

A similar metaphoric transformation of the term "Zion" occurs in the modern Latter Day Saint movement, originating in the United States in the 1830s. In this interpretation, Zion refers to a specific location to which members of the millennial church are to be gathered together to live. A Temple is to be built unto the Lord for a sacred work to be performed and for the Lord Jesus Christ to reign when he returns at the Second Coming. Until the gathering of Israel (Gentile and Jew who have accepted Jesus as their savior), when the second coming of Jesus Christ.^{[clarification needed]}

The Latter Day Saints also believe Zion to be their stakes and wards where they gather weekly to renew vows and covenants made to God the Father and to the Son of God.

Zion is referenced in several media and entertainment groups. For example in music there are song titles such as To Zion, a song by Lauryn Hill, Road to Zion, by Damian Marley, Iron Lion Zion by Bob Marley, or the Zion (David Bowie song). In film, Zion is a fictional human-controlled underground city in The Matrix (franchise). In literature, Zion is a space station in the 1984 cyberpunk novel Neuromancer

In February 2011 the Iranian government issued a formal complaint, saying that Britain's 2012 Olympics logo spelled the word "Zion". They threatened to boycott the event if the "offensive" logo was not replaced.

Today, Mount Zion refers to a hill south of the Old City's Armenian Quarter, not to the Temple Mount. This apparent misidentification dates from the Middle Ages, when Christian pilgrims mistook the relatively large, flat summit (the highest point in ancient Jerusalem) for the original site of the Jewish Temple. The Dormition Church (right) is located upon the hill currently called Mount Zion.

• Book of Micah
• New Jerusalem

• Ludlow, D. H. (Ed.). (1992) Vol 4. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company.
• McConkie, B.R. (1966).Mormon Doctrine. (2nd ed). Utah: Bookcraft.
• (Online) Available http://www.lds.org.
• Steven Zarlengo: Daughter of Zion: Jerusalem's Past, Present, and Future. (Dallas: Joseph Publishing, 2007).

• Batto, Bernard F.; Roberts, Kathryn L. (2004). David and Zion: Biblical Studies in Honor of J.J.M. Roberts Eisenbrauns, USA. ISBN 1575060922.

31°46′N 35°14′E / 31.767°N 35.233°E / 31.767; 35.233