Zion

Zi·on

noun \ˈzī-ən\

Definition of ZION

1

a : the Jewish people : israel

b : the Jewish homeland that is symbolic of Judaism or of Jewish national aspiration

c : the ideal nation or society envisaged by Judaism

2

: heaven

3

: utopia

Variants of ZION

Zi·on also Si·on \ˈsī-ən\

Origin of ZION

Middle English Sion, from Old English, citadel in Palestine which was the nucleus of Jerusalem, from Late Latin, from Greek Seiōn, from Hebrew Ṣīyōn

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ZION

Synonyms

above, bliss, elysian fields, Elysium, empyrean, kingdom come, New Jerusalem, paradise, sky, heaven (also Sion)

Antonyms

Gehenna, hell, Pandemonium, perdition

Related Words

Beulah, glory, happy hunting ground, nirvana, promised land, Valhalla; afterlife, afterworld, hereafter, otherworld

Near Antonyms

inferno; limbo, purgatory; hades, netherworld, underworld; abyss, pit

Zi·on

geographical name \ˈzī-ən\

Definition of ZION

1

city NE Illinois N of Waukegan pop 22,866

2

or Mount Zion or Sion \ˈsī-ən, ˈzī-\ or Mount Sion hill E Jerusalem, Israel; originally the stronghold of Jerusalem conquered by David; occupied in ancient times by the Jewish Temple

Zion

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem, where David established his royal capital. In the Old Testament, the name Zion frequently refers to Jerusalem as a whole; it is overwhelmingly a poetic and prophetic designation. Mount Zion is the place where Yahweh (God) dwells and is the scene of his messianic salvation. The name came to mean the Jewish homeland, symbolic of Judaism or Jewish national aspirations, and thus was the source of the term Zionism. Though the name is rare in the New Testament, it has been frequently used in Christian literature and hymns as a designation for the heavenly city or for the earthly city of Christian faith and fraternity.