Grafted Biblical Concept · Place

Zion

צִיּוֹן · Tziyon · H6726

Zion originally refers to a specific stronghold in Jerusalem but develops into a major biblical symbol for Jerusalem, God's dwelling, His people, His Kingdom, and future restoration.

154 Scripture references1 lexical sources13 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

Zion originally refers to a specific stronghold in Temple, prophetic hope, Yeshua's death and resurrection, apostolic mission, and future restoration.">Jerusalem but develops into a major biblical symbol for Jerusalem, God's dwelling, His people, His Kingdom, and future restoration.

Historical Origin

Israel's second king, founder of the Davidic dynasty, warrior, psalmist, and central figure in Messianic expectation.">David captures the stronghold of Zion:
• 2 Samuel 5:7
It becomes known as the City of David.

Expanded Meaning

Over time, Zion can refer more broadly to:
• Jerusalem
• Temple location
• God's chosen city
• God's people
• eschatological restoration

Psalms

Zion is celebrated as the place of God's kingship and presence.
See:
• Psalm 2
• Psalm 48
• Psalm 87
• Psalm 132

Prophets

Prophetic Zion theology includes:
• nations coming to learn Torah
• divine kingship
• restoration
• justice
• salvation
See:
• Isaiah 2:1–4
• Isaiah 4
• Isaiah 52
• Micah 4

Apostolic Writings

Zion imagery continues in:
• Romans 9:33
• Romans 11:26
• Messiah's priesthood, sacrifice, covenant mediation, and heavenly ministry.">Hebrews 12:22
• 1 Peter 2:6
• Revelation 14:1

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Hebrew Word Study

צִיּוֹן

Tsîyôwn · H6726

Original Word: צִיּוֹן
Transliteration: Tsîyôwn
Strong’s: H6726
Pronunciation: tsee-yone'

Unified Lexical Definition

Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem

Lexical Sources

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem

View original lexicon entry

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    "type": "strongs-lexicon",
    "slug": "",
    "title": "צִיּוֹן",
    "source": "[object Object]",
    "strong": "H6726",
    "language": "hebrew",
    "lemma": "צִיּוֹן",
    "transliteration": "Tsîyôwn",
    "pronunciation": "tsee-yone'",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "meaning": "",
    "description": "",
    "definition": "Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem",
    "glosses": [
        "Zion."
    ],
    "lexical_summary": [],
    "exhaustive_concordance": [],
    "brown_driver_briggs": [],
    "topical_lexicon": [],
    "occurrences": [],
    "references": [],
    "occurrence_count": 154,
    "url": "",
    "source_url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
    "source_license": "CC BY-SA"
}

Hebrew Bible Usage

154 occurrences

View All Hebrew Occurrences

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

154Exact Lemma38Conceptual Relationship

Prophets / Historical Books · 6

2 Samuel 5:7Exact Lemma 1 Kings 8:1Exact Lemma 2 Kings 19:21Exact Lemma 2 Kings 19:31Exact Lemma 1 Chronicles 11:5Exact Lemma 2 Chronicles 5:2Exact Lemma

Writings / Wisdom · 39

Prophets · 109

Reference Works

Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Names

Unified Dictionary Summary

Zion originally refers to a specific stronghold in Jerusalem but develops into a major biblical symbol for Jerusalem, God's dwelling, His people, His Kingdom, and future restoration.

Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

monument; raised up; sepulcher

Sources: Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

A Biblical and Theological Dictionary

See SION.

Sources: A Biblical and Theological Dictionary

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the central biblical city associated with Davidic kingship, the Temple, prophetic hope, Yeshua's death and resurrection, apostolic mission, and future restoration.

Mount Zion

Mount Zion refers to the Jerusalem location associated with Zion and develops into a major symbol of divine kingship, Temple worship, restoration, and eschatological hope.

Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God refers primarily to God's reign, kingship, and sovereign rule rather than merely a geographical location.

Messiah

Messiah means "anointed one." The Greek equivalent is Christos, from which the English title Christ derives.

Temple

The Temple was the central sanctuary associated with God's covenantal presence and Israel's worship in Jerusalem.

New Creation

New Creation describes God's ultimate restoration and renewal of creation, as well as the transformed life already inaugurated in those who belong to Messiah.

David

David is Israel's second king, founder of the Davidic dynasty, warrior, psalmist, and central figure in Messianic expectation.

New Jerusalem

The New Jerusalem is the eschatological city portrayed in Revelation as descending from heaven after the final defeat of death and evil.

Promised Land

The Promised Land refers to the land God promises to Abraham and his descendants and later brings Israel into under Joshua.

ZION

Nave’s Topical Bible references for ZION.

Baca, Valley of

(Ps. 84:6; R.V., "valley of weeping," marg., "or balsam trees"), probably a valley in some part of Palestine, or generally some one of the valleys through which pilgrims had to pass on their way to the sanctuary of Yahweh on Zion; or it may be figuratively "a valley of weeping."

Causeway

A raised way, an ascent by steps, or a raised slope between Zion and the temple (1 Chr. 26:16, 18). In 2 Chr. 9:11 the same word is translated "terrace."

Congregation, mount of the

(Isa. 14:13), has been supposed to refer to the place where God promised to meet with his people (Ex. 25:22; 29:42, 43) i.e., the mount of the Divine presence, Mount Zion. But here the king of Babylon must be taken as expressing himself according to his own heathen notions, and not according to those of the Jews. The "mount of the congregation" will therefore in this case mean the northern mountain, supposed by the Babylonians to be the meeting-place of their gods. In the Babylonian inscriptions mention is made of a mountain which is described as "the mighty mountain of Bel, whose head rivals heaven, whose root is the holy deep." This mountain was regarded in their mythology as the place where the gods had their seat.

Daughter

This word, besides its natural and proper sense, is used to designate, (1.) A niece or any female descendant (Gen. 20:12; 24:48; 28:6). (2.) Women as natives of a place, or as professing the religion of a place; as, "the daughters of Zion" (Isa. 3:16), "daughters of the Philistines" (2 Sam. 1:20). (3.) Small towns and villages lying around a city are its "daughters," as related to the metropolis or mother city. Tyre is in this sense called the daughter of Sidon (Isa. 23:12). (4.) The people of Jerusalem are spoken of as "the daughters of Zion" (Isa. 37:22). (5.) The daughters of a tree are its boughs (Gen. 49:22). (6.) The "daughters of music" (Eccl. 12:4) are singing women.

David, City of

(1.) David took from the Jebusites the fortress of Mount Zion. He "dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David" (1 Chr. 11:7). This was the name afterwards given to the castle and royal palace on Mount Zion, as distinguished from Jerusalem generally (1 Kings 3:1; 8:1), It was on the south-west side of Jerusalem, opposite the temple mount, with which it was connected by a bridge over the Tyropoeon valley. (2) Bethlehem is called the "city of David" (Luke 2:4, 11), because it was David's birth-place and early home (1 Sam. 17:12).

Decision, Valley of

A name given to the valley of Jehoshaphat (q.v.) as the vale of the sentence. The scene of Yahweh's signal inflictions on Zion's enemies (Joel 3:14; marg., "valley of concision or threshing").

Horse-gate

A gate in the wall of Jerusalem, at the west end of the bridge, leading from Zion to the temple (Neh. 3:28; Jer. 31:40).

Siloam, Pool of

Sent or sending. Here a notable miracle was wrought by our Lord in giving sight to the blind (John 9:7-11). It has been identified with the Birket Silwan in the lower Tyropoeon valley, to the south-east of the hill of Zion. The water which flows into this pool intermittingly by a subterranean channel springs from the "Fountain of the Virgin" (q.v.). The length of this channel, which has several windings, is 1,750 feet, though the direct distance is only 1,100 feet. The pool is 53 feet in length from north to south, 18 feet wide, and 19 deep. The water passes from it by a channel cut in the rock into the gardens below. (See [590]EN-ROGEL.) Many years ago (1880) a youth, while wading up the conduit by which the water enters the pool, accidentally discovered an inscription cut in the rock, on the eastern side, about 19 feet from the pool. This is the oldest extant Hebrew record of the kind. It has with great care been deciphered by scholars, and has been found to be an account of the manner in which the tunnel was constructed. Its whole length is said to be "twelve hundred cubits;" and the inscription further notes that the workmen, like the excavators of the Mont Cenis Tunnel, excavated from both ends, meeting in the middle. Some have argued that the inscription was cut in the time of Solomon; others, with more probability, refer it to the reign of Hezekiah. A more ancient tunnel was discovered in 1889 some 20 feet below the ground. It is of smaller dimensions, but more direct in its course. It is to this tunnel that Isaiah (8:6) probably refers. The Siloam inscription above referred to was surreptitiously cut from the wall of the tunnel in 1891 and broken into fragments. These were, however, recovered by the efforts of the British Consul at Jerusalem, and have been restored to their original place.

Tyropoeon Valley

(i.e., "Valley of the Cheesemongers"), the name given by Josephus the historian to the valley or rugged ravine which in ancient times separated Mount Moriah from Mount Zion. This valley, now filled up with a vast accumulation of rubbish, and almost a plain, was spanned by bridges, the most noted of which was Zion Bridge, which was probably the ordinary means of communication between the royal palace on Zion and the temple. A fragment of the arch (q.v.) of this bridge (called "Robinson's Arch"), where it projects from the sanctuary wall, was discovered by Robinson in 1839. This arch was destroyed by the Romans when Jerusalem was taken. The western wall of the temple area rose up from the bottom of this valley to the height of 84 feet, where it was on a level with the area, and above this, and as a continuance of it, the wall of Solomon's cloister rose to the height of about 50 feet, "so that this section of the wall would originally present to view a stupendous mass of masonry scarcely to be surpassed by any mural masonry in the world." __________________________________________________________________

Zion

monument; raised up; sepulcher

Definition

Historical Origin

Expanded Meaning

Psalms

Prophets

Apostolic Writings

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Unified Lexical Definition

Lexical Sources

Hebrew Bible Usage

Unified Dictionary Summary

Jerusalem

Mount Zion

Kingdom of God

Messiah

Temple

New Creation

David

New Jerusalem

Promised Land

ZION

Baca, Valley of

Causeway

Congregation, mount of the

Daughter

David, City of

Decision, Valley of

Horse-gate

Siloam, Pool of

Tyropoeon Valley

Zion

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