Hebrew Highlights 51 – DAUGHTER OF ZION

Shalom. This is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from Jerusalem.

ZEC 2:10 ““Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," declares the Lord.” Who exactly is this daughter of Zion? Is she someone we know? Is she a person? Is she representative of a people? Though the nickname, “daughter of Zion” is used nearly 30 times in the Bible, have we ever taken the time to find out whom the scriptures are talking about?

Let’s begin our search by reading ISA 62:1-7, 11-12. “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. And the nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the Lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, "Married"; For the Lord delights in you, And to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you. On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." And they will call them, "The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord"; And you will be called, "Sought out, a city not forsaken."

So, in this familiar passage, we learn that the daughter of Zion is in fact the city of Jerusalem herself, and her inhabitants. There are many promises of God, and indeed names and locals which are recipients of those promises, which we in the Christian Church have tried to claim; making them into spiritual entities which are available to all. In some cases, for instance, our adoption as God’s sons, scripture bears out those assertions. However, in many cases, we cannot spiritualize or redirect the objectives of the Lords vows.

Let’s continue by reading ZEC 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Jesus quoted this scripture when He said in MAT 21:2-5, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to Me. And if anyone says something to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them. Now this took place that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

Yeshua came to a physical place and a specific people when He entered Jerusalem. And, the Holy City is beginning to prepare herself for His return, according to ISA 52:1-2, “Awake, awake, Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no more come into you. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.”

I have long believed that every believer from around the world should sometime during his or her life make a pilgrimage to Israel, and plant their own feet on this soil. You should come too. Why? Well, for one thing, so you could quote PSA 9:14, “That I may tell of all Thy praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Thy salvation.”

What a perfect place to praise God. In the gates of His bride, on the walls of His beloved, in the city of the Great King.

Shalom, Shalom, from Jerusalem.