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Zion (Hebrew: ציון; Tiberian vocalization: Ṣiyyôn; transliterated Zion or Sion) is a term that most often designates the Land of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. The word is found in texts dating back almost three millennia. 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 Zion 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 the entire Promised Land to come, in which, according to the Hebrew Bible, God dwells among his chosen people.

[edit] Biblical usage

The name Zion appears 154 times in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). 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 Zion." (Psalms 137:1 KJV)
• "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 Zion. 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 KJV, 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 Zion." (Psalms 147:2,12 KJV)

In the Bible, Mount Hermon - located in the extreme northeast of Israel - is sometimes called Mt. Sion Deuteronomy 4:48. Mount Sion (שיאון) sounds much like Mount Zion (ציון), but as one can see, the original Hebrew spellings are quite different.

[edit] Ugaritic texts and the Bible

In texts uncovered at Ugarit, references to "Zephon" (Tsephon) have been identified with the Syrian mountain Jebel Aqra. In these texts, the mountain is the holy place of the gods, where the god known as the "Lord" reigns over the divine assembly. The word "Zephon" is a common Semitic word for "North", and some^[who?] have considered it to be possibly cognate with the Hebrew name Zion (Tsiyyon). Psalm 48:2 mentions both terms together: "...Har-Tsiyyon yarktey Tsafon..." ("Mount Zion on the Northern side"). But this is usually taken as a reference to the fact that the Temple Mount is located just to the north of the ancient city of Jerusalem, rather than as an indication that Zion is found to the north in Syria.

[edit] Mount Zion today

Dormition Church, situated on the modern "Mount Zion"

Nowadays, the term "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 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.

[edit] The Daughter of Zion

According to the following theory, the current understanding of "Mount Zion" is not a misidentification.

The location of the Temple was on Mount Moriah, which is about 40 meters shorter than the hill currently called Mount Zion. Therefore, some consider Mount Moriah to be what is meant by the Biblical phrase "Daughter of Zion" - as though the Temple Mount is the "daughter" of Mount Zion. 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 Zion (the mountain).

However, this interpretation seems to be based on several mistakes. First, "Daughter of Zion", and a variety of other names like "Daughter of Jerusalem", refer to Jerusalem and the Jewish people personified, not to any geographical feature. Second, in many places in the Bible (such as Lamentations 5:18) "Mount Zion" refers to the Temple Mount, not to modern Mount Zion. Third, in Zechariah 4:7, the word "l'mishor" means "become a plain", not just "a plain".

In the New Testament the Daughter of Zion is the bride of Christ, also know as the Church, according to Paul. 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.

[edit] Zion as a metaphor

In addition to its literal geographical meaning (Jerusalem), the term Zion has often been used as a metaphor for the Land of Israel, any other Promised Land, or any other distant but much wanted goal.

[edit] Zionism

A World War I recruitment poster. The Daughter of Zion (representing the Hebrew people): Your Old New Land must have you! Join the Jewish regiment.

Zionism is a political movement and an ideology that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The Zionist movement culminated in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Since then, Zionists have focused on developing and protecting this state.

While Zionism is based in part upon religious tradition linking the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, the modern movement is largely secular. Indeed, until 1967 the Zion of the Bible (the Old City of Jerusalem) was not even within the boundaries of Israel. Nevertheless, the movement is called Zionism because Zion has come to refer to the entire land of Israel.

[edit] Anti-slavery

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 a literal place such as in Ethiopia for Rastafari 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.

[edit] Rastafari movement

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 Damian Marley song featuring Nas; "Road to Zion," The Abyssinians' "Forward Unto Zion" ; "Zion" by Lauryn Hill and Kiddus I's immortal track "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", P.O.D. (band) Payable On Death with song "set your eyes to zion," Sublime, Lauryn Hill, Boney M. (Rivers of Babylon), Dreadzone with the reggae-tinged track "Zion Youth."

Example from the Mad Professor song "Africa Is Zion": "Africa is Zion and Zion is Africa, Ethiopia is Mount Zion / Them tell us that Africa is Africa, the Bible tell us it's Zion."

[edit] In Latter-day Saint theology

A similar metaphoric transformation of the term "Zion" occurred in the modern Latter Day Saints 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.

[edit] References

• 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).