Psalm 99:2

Psalm 99:2

All about Zion

As we have seen before, Zion is repeatedly mentioned in the Scriptures as the dwelling place of God. He could have chosen any other land in the world for His people to dwell, but He chose Israel. He could have chosen any other city in Israel, but He chose Jerusalem. He could have chosen any other hill or mount, but Zion was the place where David first erected the Tabernacle at God’s command. 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 in 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 came into the possession of Israel. The royal palace was built there, and Zion/Jerusalem became the seat of power in the Kingdom. When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem the meaning of Zion expanded further to include the temple area. This is the meaning found in the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:16, “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 and the land of Judah, and the nation of Israel as a whole. 

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. 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).

So, we can see that the Lord is indeed great in Zion and one day He will be exalted over all the nations and rule from Mount Zion. Until that day, the nations will generally despise the mount, the city, the country and its people, be they Jew or Christian! 

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