Zion is an ancient placename first recorded in the Tanakh around the mid-6th century BCE, initially referring to a Jebusite fortress on a specific hill in Jerusalem which King David conquered and renamed the City of David. Over centuries, its meaning expanded dramatically from this original "Mount Zion" to signify the entire city of Jerusalem, Solomon's Temple, the biblical Land of Israel, and even the Jewish concept of "the World to Come" or afterlife. Interestingly, due to numerous city wall reconstructions up to the 16th century, the original Mount Zion is now located just outside Jerusalem's current Old City walls, and a different Western Hill has confusingly been called 'Mount Zion' for the past two millennia. While its precise etymology remains uncertain, possibly stemming from Hebrew words for "castle" or "dry land," its origins are believed to predate the Israelites. Appearing over 150 times in the Hebrew Bible, Zion often features as a personification of Jerusalem, known as the "Daughter of Zion," and stands as a powerful symbol of the Jewish people's spiritual home and enduring hope.