Mount Zion
1
7.3
- proper noun
:
Monte Sion
- According to the Bible, Mount Zion represents the spiritual core of the city of Jerusalem.
Examples
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I'd be happy to drive you the rest of the way to Mount Zion.
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Mount Zion, the hill of David the king, was the highest pinnacle of glory attainable in Israel.
Blog text (26) -
"Ye are come," says the writer to the Hebrews (and the tense is plainly present), "unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem..."
Blog text (13) -
From the literal Mount Zion, David and the kings of Israel reigned gloriously, and the Ark of God rested there all through the reign of David and for several years afterward until the temple was completed by Solomon.
Blog text (26) -
The prophet said that the Lord would reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem for all time.
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Families gather at Mount Zion to celebrate their heritage and the history of Jerusalem.
Synonyms
27
8.8
An ancient hill in Jerusalem used as a holy name for the city
5
9.3
A hill in Jerusalem later used to mean the city and its temple
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound simply combines 'mount' (a hill or mountain) with the toponym 'Zion', so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a hill called Zion—i.e., the specific hill in Jerusalem. This toponymic composition is cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately interpretable by B1 learners, even though the name can also be used metonymically for Jerusalem.
Etymology
Mount Zion is a real hill in Jerusalem where King David captured a fortress and where the Temple later stood. Because it was a high, holy place in the middle of the city, people began to use Mount Zion as a 'name' for 'Jerusalem' and as a sign of hope and faith.