Mount Zion ( Hebrew : הַר צִיּוֹן , Har Ṣīyyōn ; Arabic : جبل صهيون , Jabal Sahyoun ) is a hill in Jerusalem , located 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 Western Hill. [1] [2] In a wider sense, the term Zion is also used for the entire Lan
The etymology of the word Zion is uncertain. [4] [5] [6] 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 . [4] [5] If Semitic , it may be associated with the Hebrew root ṣiyyôn ("castle"). Though not spoken in Jerusalem until 1,700 years later, the name is similar in Arabic and may be connected to the root ṣiyya ("dry land") or the Arabic šanā ("protect" or "citadel"). [5] [6] It might also b
Sahyun ( Arabic : صهيون , Ṣahyūn or Ṣihyūn ) is the word for Zion in Arabic and Syriac . [7] A valley called Wâdi Sahyûn ( wadi being the Arabic for "valley") seemingly preserves the name and is located approximately one and three-quarter miles (2.8 km) from the Old City of Jerusalem 's Jaffa Gate . [7]