Churchy Q&A: What is Zion?

Many thanks to Howard, who served at the altar on Sunday and read the passage from Isaiah, for this question!

In the reading last Sunday, Isaiah declares "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest" (62:1).

Zion is a term that dates back three millenia, so it has many layers of meaning. Originally, it designated a mountain near Jerusalem, where a fortress once stood. It has come to also mean the city of Jerusalem, the land of Israel, and the biblical nation of Judah, which was the southern kingdom of the Israelites from 930 to 587 BCE.

It also signifies, metaphorically, the promises of Jerusalem and a time when God will dwell with the people. At my church in Georgia, we had a local song that went something like this:

Zion is a place of singing,
Zion is a place of joy,
Zion is the dwelling of the Lord.

So let us climb the hill of Zion,
to the city of the living God...