Ophel

A quarter of Jerusalem adjacent to the temple, and therefore occupied by the Nethinim, Ne 3:26,27 11:21. It appears to have been enclosed by a wall, and fortified by a strong tower, 2Ch 27:3 33:14; and is thought to be meant by the HebrewOPHEL, translated" strong-hold," in Mic 4:8. There can be little doubt that the name belongs to the lower ridge into which Mount Moriah sinks, south of the area of the mosque. It is one hundred yards wide, and extends six hundred yards to the south, terminating in a bluff forty or fifty feet high above the pool of Siloam. It is separated from Mount Zion on the west by the valley called Tyropoeon, and is now devoted to the culture of olives, figs, and other fruit.