ZION

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Zion (pronounced zye-on; long "i", short "o")
It is first mentioned in the bible at 2 Samuel 5:7 where it is referred to as the City of David (see also 1 Kings 8:1, 1 Chronicles 11:5, and 2 Chronicles 5:2), making Zion synonymous with Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:6-9). Many people confuse the two bible terms "The city of David" (which is Bethlehem) and "David's city" (which is Jerusalem) because they are so similar in wording. However, when the bible refers to "David's City" it is Bethlehem because Joseph, stepfather to Jesus, was a native of Bethlehem and a member of David's descendants (Luke 2:4). David's own father was also born in Bethlehem, and apparently so was David (1 Samuel 17:12, 15). Whereas the City of David -  Zion -  is Jerusalem and is associated with the tribe of Judah (Psalm 69:35, 78:68) -- keep in mind that Jerusalem was in the territory of Judah (2 Samuel 5:5). The reason Jerusalem was called the "City of David" is because David invaded the Jebusites, who occupied Jerusalem, and ousted them (2 Samuel 5:4-10).

How important was Jerusalem / Zion to Israel? Zion was chosen by Yahweh to be the hub of true worship (1 Kings 14:21), thus His temple was located there (Psalm 68:29, Mark 11:11). This meant the Israelites would make special efforts to travel to Jerusalem for important occasions, such as the Passover observation (Luke 2:41, John 11:55), the Festival of Dedication / Hanukkah  (John 10:22), and other rituals according to Jewish Law (Luke 2:27). Jerusalem was located in the region of Judah (Joshua 15:63), and interestingly enough the lineage of the kings descended through the line of Judah (Matthew 1:1-16).

Originally, the city of Jerusalem was named Salem (Genesis 14:18) and was referred as such by the Psalmist although by then it's name had been lengthened to "Jerusalem" (Psalm 76:2 compare with the first mention of Jerusalem at Joshua 10:1). Salem was identified with the Melchizedek priesthood (Genesis 14:18, Hebrews 7:1-3). It is fitting that Yahweh would choose Jerusalem to be his chosen holy city, for "Salem" means "Peace" (Hebrews 7:2).

MOUNT ZION
Because Zion had great importance as both a worship center and a place of kings, Yahweh used Zion to illustrate His heavenly Kingdom: Since earthly Jerusalem was Zion, then Heavenly Jerusalem was referred to as the elevated Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:22). This is supported in that bible prophecies speak of Yahweh being King residing in Mount Zion (Isaiah 8:18, Isaiah 24:23, Obadiah 1:21, Micah 4:7), and when Christ is enthroned he is also seen to be atop Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1). The bible also mentions Mount Zion as being the place of the name of Yahweh (Isaiah 18:7).

Just as Mount Zion is related to the spiritual tribe of Judah (Psalm 48:11, 78:68), so too, was the physical city of Zion / Jerusalem related to the physical region of Judah (Joshua 15:63). Click here to read more detail regarding the significance of Judah, Israel, and their spiritual counterparts.

It is worth noting that earthly Jerusalem was simply a physical copy of the spiritual Jerusalem in Heaven (Hebrews 8:5, 9:24). According to scripture, Mount Zion will endure forever (Psalm 125:1), it is a place of refuge for Yahweh's faithful followers (Joel 2:32). New Jerusalem / Mount Zion, will come to earth, a merging of the heavenly with the earthly, when God's Kingdom comes (Ezkiel 37:26-28, Revelation 3:12-13, Revelation 21:1-4).