Repatriation to Zion Kingdom


In the Bible, Zion represents various things, though first and foremost it is the name of the holy hill of Jerusalem, one of the hills on which the city was founded (hence Psalm 87:1, His foundation is in the holy mountains). Mount Zion became sacred when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to rest there. However the name 'Zion' was also used in a wider sense to refer to the Temple, to Jerusalem, or even to the whole of Israel. Zion was the pride and heritage of Israel, and the holy dwelling place of God (Psalm 9:11). It is not difficult to imagine therefore the great emotional significance Zion must have held for the Jews who were exiled in Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem (consider Psalm 137:1, By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion).

Likewise, for African people exiled in America and the Caribbean due to the slave trade, Africa obviously held a very similar significance. And out of such heartfelt longing for repatriation was born the modern movement of Rastafari, in which Zion is therefore appropriately equated with Africa (particularly Ethiopia - click here for biblical references to Ethiopia). Africa is also seen in terms of the Promised Land (Exodus 3:17), which for the first Jamaican Rastafarians was reachable only by crossing the Jordan River (Atlantic Ocean).



Today, as Rasta becomes increasingly widespread around the globe, many of its followers are not of recent African descent, but Africa still retains the identity of Zion for all Rastafarians, since it is considered the cradle of humankind and the true Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:10-14).



In Rastafari, Zion often even comes to represent the heavenly kingdom itself, as it sometimes does in the New Testament, for example, in Hebrews 12:22, But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. Therefore Zion is to be seen primarily in a spiritual sense, as the celestial Jerusalem of the book of Revelation (Rev. 21:2, And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband). It is the kingdom of JAH, who is everywhere, and so the geographical location of Zion ceases to be relevant.


Songs to check out include 'Message From The King' by Prince Far I, 'Zion Hut' by IJahman, 'Rastaman Chant' (traditional, arranged by the Wailers), and 'Exodus' by Bob Marley.

Back to 'Key Biblical Concepts In Rasta Reggae Lyrics' page