What does the word “Zionism” really mean?

Maybe you’ve heard the word, “Zion” before in old songs about marching there. Or worshipping there. The songs are infused with hope. A “someday this will be true” kind of declaration about being home in Jerusalem after nearly 2,000 years in exile.

At its heart, Zionism is about the Jewish hope of finally being at home in Israel, their ancestral homeland. Zion is an actual, real place—it’s another name for Jerusalem, the place God brought the people He chose for Himself to worship and the center of His redemption story.

Zion is the one place on the face of the earth where God chose to set His name and live with His people, according to Psalm 132:14-15:

For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever : here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

Zionists believe that the Jewish people have both the right and the need to live as a free nation in the land of Israel. A “Christian Zionist” describes a Christian who supports the right of Jews to exist and flourish in their ancient homeland.

Although it’s often heard in political circles, Zionism was first woven together from Bible, prayer, and longing. For thousands of years, Jews have said at Passover and Yom Kippur: “Next year in Jerusalem.” Zionism turned that ancient longing into action.

In 1948, the modern State of Israel embraced Zionism as a lifestyle, renewing Jewish culture and character back to the land, while also recognizing room for diverse opinions about how those ideals should live together.

When you hear the word “Zion” again, picture a scattered people who refused to forget where they came from and how they shaped that memory into a reality. Think: home, promise, and hope.

Zionists celebrate the Jewish story that began in Zion, and has once again come home.