Hebrew word · H6077

עֹ֫פֶל

ba'ofel

Ophel

'Swelling, bulge, mound', and by extension a raised and fortified part of a city, a citadel-hill. The related plural 'ofalim means bodily 'swellings, tumors' in 1 Samuel 5–6 (in the written consonantal text).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Ophel = "hill"

a ridge of hills in Jerusalem, fortified for defense of the city

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Nehemiah 3:26

Range of meaning

'Swelling, bulge, mound', and by extension a raised and fortified part of a city, a citadel-hill. The related plural 'ofalim means bodily 'swellings, tumors' in 1 Samuel 5–6 (in the written consonantal text).

Against the English

Most English versions just keep 'Ophel' as a proper name. BSB adds 'hill of'. Neither shows that to a Hebrew ear it meant 'the Bulge' or 'the Citadel', a description of the ground and its fortifications.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Jerusalem: 2 Chronicles 27:3 (Jotham built extensively on 'the wall of the Ophel'), 2 Chronicles 33:14 (Manasseh enclosed the Ophel), Isaiah 32:14, Micah 4:8 ('O Ophel of daughter Zion'), Nehemiah 3:27 and 11:21. 2 Kings 5:24 uses it for a fortified height in Samaria. Outside the Bible, the Moabite Mesha Stele (9th century BC) speaks of building 'the wall of the Ophel' (ḥmt h‘pl) at Qeriho, so the word was a common Iron Age term for an upper fortified area.

Where it appears

2 Chronicles · 2

  1. 2 Chronicles 27:3 הָעֹ֛פֶל <the> Ophel

    Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD, and he worked extensively on the wall at the hill of Ophel.

  2. 2 Chronicles 33:14 לָעֹ֔פֶל <to> the Ophel

    After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

Nehemiah · 3

  1. Nehemiah 3:26 בָּעֹ֑פֶל on <the> Ophel

    and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the tower that juts out.

    Here: 'In the Ophel', the raised, fortified bulge of the eastern ridge between the old City of David and the Temple Mount. The definite article shows it was a known landmark ('the Swelling, the Citadel-hill') and not yet a proper name.

  2. Nehemiah 3:27 הָעֹֽפֶל׃ <the> Ophel

    And next to them, the Tekoites repaired another section, from a point opposite the great tower that juts out to the wall of Ophel.

  3. Nehemiah 11:21 בָּעֹ֑פֶל on <the> Ophel

    The temple servants lived on the hill of Ophel, with Ziha and Gishpa over them.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.