Redeeming Zion!

The Temple Mount features so deeply in the psyche of many religious Jews that they are often blinded to misinterpret the location of Zion. Here I have extracted the most revealing mentions of Zion and I elaborate their meaning in that context.  

2 Samuel 5:7 

וַיִּלְכֹּ֣ד דָּוִ֔ד אֵ֖ת מְצֻדַ֣ת צִיּ֑וֹן הִ֖יא עִ֥יר דָּוִֽד׃

But David captured the stronghold of Zion; it is now the City of David.

Prophet Samuel tells us the citadel or stronghold of Zion becomes the City of David. The verses tell us David stayed in the place they captured and that place that he stayed was expanded and became the City of David.

1 Kings 3:1 

וַיִּתְחַתֵּ֣ן שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֖ה מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה וַיְבִיאֶ֙הָ֙ אֶל־עִ֣יר דָּוִ֔ד עַ֣ד כַּלֹּת֗וֹ לִבְנ֤וֹת אֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית יְהֹוָ֔ה וְאֶת־חוֹמַ֥ת

 יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם סָבִֽיב׃

Solomon allied himself by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the City of David [to live there] until he had finished building his palace, and the House of GOD, and the walls around Jerusalem.

Here we understand there is a distinction between City of David, palace, House of God and walls. They are each identified separately.

1 Kings 8:1

אָ֣ז יַקְהֵ֣ל שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה אֶת־זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל אֶת־כׇּל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הַמַּטּוֹת֩ נְשִׂיאֵ֨י הָאָב֜וֹת לִבְנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶל־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם לְֽהַעֲל֞וֹת אֶת־אֲר֧וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֛ה מֵעִ֥יר דָּוִ֖ד הִ֥יא צִיּֽוֹן׃

Then Solomon convoked the elders of Israel—all the heads of the tribes and the ancestral chieftains of the Israelites—before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of GOD from the City of David, that is, Zion.

Here we are told that City of David is Zion.

Jeremiah 26:18

(מיכיה) [מִיכָה֙] הַמּ֣וֹרַשְׁתִּ֔י הָיָ֣ה נִבָּ֔א בִּימֵ֖י חִזְקִיָּ֣הוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־כׇּל־עַם֩ יְהוּדָ֨ה לֵאמֹ֜ר כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת צִיּ֞וֹן שָׂדֶ֤ה תֵחָרֵשׁ֙ וִירוּשָׁלַ֙יִם֙ עִיִּ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְהַ֥ר הַבַּ֖יִת לְבָמ֥וֹת יָֽעַר׃

“Micah the Morashtite, who prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus said GOD of Hosts:
Zion shall be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins
And the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods.’

Now an additional distinction between Zion, Jerusalem and Temple Mount.

Isaiah 3:16

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה יַ֚עַן כִּ֤י גָֽבְהוּ֙ בְּנ֣וֹת צִיּ֔וֹן וַתֵּלַ֙כְנָה֙ (נטוות) [נְטוּי֣וֹת] גָּר֔וֹן וּֽמְשַׂקְּר֖וֹת עֵינָ֑יִם הָל֤וֹךְ וְטָפֹף֙ תֵּלַ֔כְנָה וּבְרַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם תְּעַכַּֽסְנָה׃

GOD said:
“Because the daughters of Zion
Are so vain
And walk with heads thrown back,
With roving eyes,
And with mincing gait,
Making a tinkling with their feet”—

Women were only permitted up to the Women's Court on the Temple Mount, here the daughters of Zion are inferred to be misbehaving as residents of Zion.

Micah 3:12

לָכֵן֙ בִּגְלַלְכֶ֔ם צִיּ֖וֹן שָׂדֶ֣ה תֵֽחָרֵ֑שׁ וִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִיִּ֣ין תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְהַ֥ר הַבַּ֖יִת לְבָמ֥וֹת יָֽעַר׃

Assuredly, because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins
And the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods.

Another distinction between Zion, Jerusalem and Temple Mount. Its important at least because the Temple Mount is not Zion.

Zechariah 8:3

כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה שַׁ֚בְתִּי אֶל־צִיּ֔וֹן וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּת֣וֹךְ יְרֽוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְנִקְרְאָ֤ה יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִ֣יר הָֽאֱמֶ֔ת וְהַר־יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת הַ֥ר הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃

Thus said GOD: I have returned to Zion, and I will dwell in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the City of Faithfulness, and the mount of GOD of Hosts the Holy Mount.

A further distinction indicates how far we have drifted in our understanding since Zecharia told us their is Zion, Jerusalem and the Holy Mount. We appear to have lost our sensitivity to the place to which God returned and will again return.

Psalms 2:6

וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן הַר־קׇדְשִֽׁי׃

“But I have installed My king on Zion, My holy mountain”

Now we can understand the association between Zion and Mount Moriah, the mountain.

Lamentations 4:2

בְּנֵ֤י צִיּוֹן֙ הַיְקָרִ֔ים הַמְסֻלָּאִ֖ים בַּפָּ֑ז אֵיכָ֤ה נֶחְשְׁבוּ֙ לְנִבְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶשׂ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יְדֵ֥י יוֹצֵֽר׃         

The precious children of Zion;
Once valued as gold—
Alas, they are accounted as earthen pots,
Work of a potter’s hands!

Lamentations 5:11

נָשִׁים֙ בְּצִיּ֣וֹן עִנּ֔וּ בְּתֻלֹ֖ת בְּעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

They have ravished women in Zion,
Maidens in the towns of Judah.

Again the Zion references here are residential.