Question: I keep encountering quotes from the Bible about Zion, “What is Zion? What is Mount Zion? What is the biblical meaning of Zion?”

Answer:
Zion appears at least 165 times in the Bible. These verses refer alternately to a Mount Zion, the daughter of Zion, virgin daughter of Zion, and many of them are just plain Zion. Besides being popular in scriptural reference, Zion is described as being quite loved by the Almighty.

The first few times that Zion is mentioned, the verse gives another piece of identification of the fortress of Zion: “It is the city of David” (II Samuel 5:7, I Kings 8:1), which is the area in Jerusalem where King David established his kingdom.

In other places, such as “Mount Zion on which You dwelt,” the reference is to the presence of God in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The same is true of the verse in Isaiah 2:3. The idea of the law (Torah) coming from Zion refers to the Sanhedrin (the Supreme Court), which held court in the Temple. Usually, however, Zion refers to the city of Jerusalem, the entire Land of Israel, and as a figure of speech to the Jewish people. Thus, God tells the prophet Isaiah: “And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people” (Isaiah 51:16).

The same is true of the expression “daughter of Zion,” which is a title of endearment that God uses about Jerusalem and the Jewish people, the inhabitants of the land of Zion. Likewise, in Lamentations 4:2, the Jewish people are referred to as “the sons of Zion.”

Inner Meaning of Zion
The Hebrew word for Zion is “Tzion,” which can be translated as an indication or marking. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson explains that the Jewish nation is called Zion by virtue of their study of Jewish texts and fulfillment of God’s commandments. This causes them to be distinguished or marked for their uniqueness among other nations.