Mount Zion
/ˌmaʊnt ˈzaɪən/noun
A hill in Jerusalem traditionally associated with the City of David and, in biblical and later religious traditions, with sacred history and divine presence.
Did you know?In the Hebrew Bible, Zion first refers to a fortified stronghold captured by David before becoming a poetic name for Jerusalem and, later, a symbol of the heavenly or promised city.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“To project, rise, or stand out; the probable deep root behind the Latin word for mountain.”
Classical Latin
Latin
mons
“Mountain or elevated landform.”
Old French
Old French
mont
“Mountain, hill, or elevated place.”
Middle English
English
mount
“A hill or mountain; also something climbed or ascended.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
צִיּוֹן (Ṣiyyōn)
“Zion; originally the name of a Jerusalem stronghold, with its deeper meaning uncertain and debated by scholars.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Σιών (Siōn)
“Zion; the Greek rendering of the Hebrew place-name in the Septuagint and New Testament.”
Modern English
English
Mount Zion
“A sacred Jerusalem place-name and a powerful biblical symbol of Jerusalem, divine dwelling, redemption, and the promised holy city.”
Explore more surprising origins