OPHEL. – Southeastern hill of Jerusalem.
The name, from the root 'áphal = “to swell,” properly “protuberance,” “projection” (Deut. 28, 27; I Sam. 54, 61), came to signify a rise of the ground or a hill (cf. II Reg. 5, 24 “hill of Samaria”; Vulg. “vesperi”; Septuagint τὸ σκοτεινὸν = 'áphēl “gloom”; in the inscription of Mesha [line 22] hill of the city of Diban). On all other occasions há-'áphēl in the Bible designates the southeastern hill of the city of Jerusalem, whose wall was built by Ioatham (II Par. 27, 5), enlarged and repaired by Manasse (II Par. 32, 14), and after the exile by the Tekoites (Neh. 3, 27 [Vulg. murum templi]; 11, 21; II Par. 27, 3; 33, 14).
The biblical texts determine with great precision the site of hill O. south of the Temple area, where the Canaanite city or fortress of Sion was located (II Sam. 5, 6;
The quarter, inhabited by the Nathinei, servants of the Temple, extended as far as the “water gate” to the east and the “projecting tower” (Neh. 3, 26). The tower is also mentioned by Is. 32, 14 (Vulg. tenebroe) and by Mi. 4, 8 (Vulg. nebulosa filia Sion). Flavius Josephus (Bell. Iud., V, 4, 2) calls Ὀφλᾶς the lower part of the city near the eastern portico of the Temple and the Cedron torrent, not far from the fountain of Siloe and Solomon’s pool (Bell. Iud., II, 17, 9; V, 4, 2; VI, 1; VI, 6, 3), and the Talmud (To'ānith, 3, 11) likewise recalls “the western corner” in the lower part of the Cedron area.