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Σιών

Siṓn

G4622 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Proper noun: 'Zion,' the designation for a prominent hill in Jerusalem, often extended to refer to the fortified city itself, its inhabitants, or the broader community associated with the Jerusalem sanctuary. In certain contexts, also used as a symbolic or poetic reference to the center of worship or to the people linked to the Jerusalem cult. In later Jewish and early Christian usage, can carry symbolic or eschatological meanings related to the idealized community of God or divine dwelling.

Semantic Range

Zion (hill in Jerusalem), Jerusalem (metonym), sanctuary, Jerusalemite community, poetic or symbolic center of God's presence, eschatological people of God

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew צִיּוֹן (Ṣiyyōn), referring originally to a particular hill in Jerusalem. The precise derivation in Hebrew is uncertain but proposed links include roots meaning 'fortress' or 'dry place.' Greek transcription follows the Hebrew form closely.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Greek Septuagint (LXX), Σιών is a direct transliteration of the Hebrew name, used frequently to refer to the hill associated with the Jebusite fortress conquered by David and later identified with the temple mount or the city at large. In Hellenistic Jewish literature, Σιών accrues poetic and theological resonance as a representation or personification of Jerusalem, the Israelite sanctuary, or sometimes the collective people of Israel. In the New Testament, its usage retains this symbolic quality, especially in quotations from Hebrew scriptures, where Σιών may serve as a metonym for the community centered on God's covenant or, in later Christian interpretation, the eschatological people of God. Standard English translations often render Σιών as 'Zion,' which preserves the Hebrew name but does not capture the full range of poetic, geographic, and symbolic associations present in ancient Greek usage. There is no evidence that in the Second Temple or New Testament periods Σιών referred specifically to the 'church' in the institutional sense, though later Christian tradition developed such a reading.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Hebrew origin (צִיּוֹן); Sion (i.e. Tsijon), a hill of Jerusalem; figuratively, the Church (militant or triumphant):--Sion.

Root Family

Σιών (Siōn) — Zion, hill of Jerusalem, center of worship

Root Σιών Zion, hill of Jerusalem, center of worship

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4622-01 Σιών sion N GEN F SG Zion of Zion Sion 7

Occurrences in Scripture

7 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4622-01 Matthew 21:5 Σιών sion N GEN F SG of Zion of Zion Sion
G4622-01 John 12:15 Σιών sion N GEN F SG of Zion of Zion Sion
G4622-01 Romans 9:33 Σιὼν sion N DAT F SG Zion of Zion Sion
G4622-01 Romans 11:26 Σιὼν sion N GEN F SG Zion of Zion Sion
G4622-01 Hebrews 12:22 Σιὼν sion N DAT F SG Zion of Zion Sion
G4622-01 1 Peter 2:6 Σιὼν sion N DAT F SG Zion of Zion Sion
G4622-01 Revelation 14:1 Σιών sion N GEN F SG Zion of Zion Sion
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