Rejoice Upon the Hills

There is an interesting phrase in the Doctrine and Covenants about Zion that is repeated a few times.  In a revelation in 1830 the Lord said to Joseph and Sidney Rigdon, "Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish" (D&C 35:24).  The next month to James Covel the Lord said, "Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish" (D&C 39:13).  A few months later in May of 1831 to Sidney Rigdon, Parley Pratt, and Leman Copley the Lord said again, "Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed" (D&C 49:25).  So what does it mean for Zion to "flourish on the hills" or "rejoice upon the hills"?  What do hills have to do with Zion, and what is this meant to symbolize?    

The language about Zion rejoicing on the hills doesn't appear to be in the Bible, but there are two references to hills that perhaps the Lord was alluding to.  The first is the familiar verse from Isaiah: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it" (Isaiah 2:2).  Here the mountains and hills are associated with the temple, and we know of course that in general the high places in the scriptures were often the places where temples were or temple-like experiences took place with the divine, such as with Moses on Mount Sinai, the brother of Jared on Mount Shelem, or Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration.  So perhaps here in this phrase about Zion flourishing on hills the Lord wanted to suggest that Zion would rejoice and flourish because of temple work.  Zion cannot be Zion without a temple in her midst.  A second Biblical passage which perhaps helps us understand the idea of Zion flourishing on the hills is this injunction from the Savior: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid" (3 Nephi 12:14).  The hill here is used to symbolize that the world can see the faithful because they are set apart.  Similarly, when Zion is built up it will be a place for the world to look to for light.  So we might say that Zion flourishing on the hill is symbolic of how the world will see and understand the good works of the righteous.  In a revelation concerning Zion the Lord said, “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion” (D&C 115:5-6).  Zion is to be built such that the world will look to her for a light.  The good of Zion should be seen from afar and be so powerful that the wicked nations of the earth will fear her: “For, behold, I say unto you that Zion shall flourish, and the glory of the Lord shall be upon her….  And the day shall come when the nations of the earth shall tremble because of her, and shall fear because of her terrible ones” (D&C 64:41-43).  Ultimately Zion will rejoice and flourish as the temple becomes its center and its light is set up for all to see.