Is Zion a people or a place?

We hear the word Zion at church and in the scriptures. But what does it mean?

Zion represents both a place and a people. Scriptures define Zion as those who are “pure in heart.”¹ But sometimes Zion also refers to a specific geographical location. For example:

• Enoch built a city named Zion.
• Solomon’s temple was on Mount Zion.
• Jackson County, Missouri, USA, is called Zion throughout the Doctrine and Covenants.

In modern days, we’ve been invited to become a united, Zion-like people—no matter where we live in the world. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught, “We no longer think of Zion as where we are going to live [but] how we are going to live.”²

Building Zion can be as simple as following the Savior and loving others, even when they seem different from us. As Elder D. Todd Christofferson said:

“We will become of one heart and one mind as we individually place the Savior at the center of our lives and follow those He has commissioned to lead us. We can unite … in love and concern for one another. … Unity and love for one another …, multiplied thousands of times in different ways, will ‘bring again Zion’ (Isaiah 52:8).”³

The early Saints gathered from lots of different countries and had to learn to get along. Now it’s our turn to make our love stronger than our differences!

Notes

1. Doctrine and Covenants 97:21.
2. Jeffrey R. Holland, “Israel, Israel, God Is Calling,” Church Educational System devotional, Sept. 2012.
3. D. Todd Christofferson, “Come to Zion,” general conference, Oct. 2008.

Adapted from “Building Zion through Unity” in the September 2021 For the Strength of Youth magazine.