Why was Zion more important than all the dwelling places of Jacob?

Jacob is used as a synonym for Israel, since it was the name by which Israel was earlier known (Genesis 32:28).¹ Zion (Jerusalem) was more important than all Jewish dwellings because it was the place where the Lord determined to tabernacle (Psalm 74:2; Psalm 78:67–68).² It is his very presence there that accounts for his preference for Zion over all other dwellings in Israel, not that he does not also love them.³ The special character of Jerusalem is not in the fact that she is surrounded by mountains but that the Lord has set his love upon her.⁴