Mount Zion
| Mount Zion | |
|---|---|
| הַר צִיוֹן (Har Tsiyyon) جبل صهيون (Jabel Sahyoun) |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 765 m (2,510 ft) |
| Coordinates | 31°46′18″N 35°13′43″E / 31.77167°N 35.22861°ECoordinates: 31°46′18″N 35°13′43″E / 31.77167°N 35.22861°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | Jerusalem |
| Parent range | Judean |
Mount Zion (Hebrew: הַר צִיוֹן, Har Tsiyyon; Arabic: جبل صهيون, Jabel Sahyoun) is a hill in Jerusalem just outside the walls of the Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David (2 Samuel 5:7, 1 Chronicles 11:5; 1 Kings 8:1, 2 Chronicles 5:2) and later for the Temple Mount, but its meaning has shifted and it is now used as the name of ancient Jerusalem's so-called Western Hill. In a wider sense, the term is also used for the entire Land of Israel.
The etymology of the word Zion is uncertain. Mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 5:7) as the name of the Jebusite fortress conquered by King David, its origin likely predates the Israelites. If Semitic, it may be associated with the Hebrew root ''ṣiyyôn ("castle") or the Arabic root ṣiyya ("dry land") or the Arabic šanā ("protect" or "citadel"). It might also be related to the Arabic root ṣahî ("ascend to the top") or ṣuhhay ("tower" or "the top of the mountain"). A non-Semitic relationship to the Hurrian word šeya ("river" or "brook") has also been suggested.
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