Ophai,-

See EPHAI. OPHEL (δεν, atreye, except in Is 32 and Mic 4°, with def. art.; LXX Ὥφαλ, Ὄφαλ, “Oger, ᾿Οφλά, Ὀσλά, Jos. 'Opdas).—The name means ‘ swelling’ or ‘bulge.’ It is used in Dt 28% and 18 δ᾽ for ‘emerods,’ and in 2 Καὶ 5* of a hill probably in the neighbourhood of Samaria.

In the other places where the article is used, it refers to a site south of the temple of Jerusalem; 2Ch 278 ‘On the wall of Ophel he (Jotham) built much’; 2 Ch 33" Manasseh ‘compassed about Ophel and raised it up a very great height’; in Neh 355. 7 112! it appears as the dwelling-place of the Nethinim. Josephus in the parallel passages does not men- tion Ophel by name. He states that Jotham built very great towers, such as were almost impregnable (Ant. IX. xi.

2), and that Manasseh built very lofty towers and strengthened the outlying forts.

One may search in vain for any pronounced natural swelling of ground south of the temple area at the present day to account for the term Ophel; but if this word may be applied to an artificial mound, the spot where it should be found can be at once indicated by pointing to the source of the water supply at the Virgin’s Fountain and the secret passage in the bowels of Ophel, through which it was obtainable within the city.

_ The site of Ophel south of the temple enclosure is indicated exactly ws the accounts given in the Book of Nehemiah. The Nethinim who dwelt in Ophel repaired the city wall over against the water-gate towards the east and the tower that lieth out. ‘After them the Tekoites repaired an- other piece over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel’ (Neh 3%).

At the dedication of the walls ite company that came along the southern walls to the temple, when at the fountain gate, ‘went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall above the house of David, even unto the water-gate eastward’ (Neh 12%), This places the water-gate close to the southern end of the temple, and Ophel was close to the water-gate. Josephus in speaking of the southern wall of Jerusa.

em, and sata ‘om west to east, describes its bending above the fountain of Siloam, where it also bends again fronting the east at Solomon’s pool, and reaches as far as a certain place called the Ophlas, where it was joined to the eastern cloister of the temple (BJ v. iv. 2). John held the temple and the parts thereto adjoining for a rreat way, as also the Ophlas (Vv. vi. 1).

The next aay they set fire to the repository of the archives, to Acra, to the council house, and to the place called the Ophlas (VI. vi. 3). It can thus be ascertained for certain that Ophel was situated on the eastern hill on which Jerusalem is built, somewhere between the southern end of the temple and Siloam. This is a spur which becomes narrow to the south until above Siloam it ends abruptly and precipitously.

On this spur also, according to the account in the Book of Nehemiah, are the sepulchres of David, the house of the mighty, the city of David, and the house of David, so that this must be identical with Zion; but there are other indications elsewhere in the OT and in Josephus that the ancient Jerusalem was identical with the Acra which is north-west of the temple on the same hill as the traditional Holy Sepulchre.

The only solution appears to be in the dual notion of the ancient Jerusalem, one portion in Judah over the fountain of the Virgin, called Zion, and one portion near the Hammam esh-Shefa (a fountain) on the Acra, called Millo. Thus the ancient strongholds of Jerusalem were both swell- ing mounds, probably of stone and earth—Ophel and Millo. Stanley in his note on Ophel (Sin. and Pal.

498) oints out that the word in later times appears to ave acquired the meaning of ‘fort,’ as in ‘QSridu, ‘bulwark of the people,’ the name applied to St. James the Just by Hegesippus (Eus. li. 23). According to the narrative of Hegesippus, James the Just was cast down from the south-east angle of the temple enclosure and was killed below by the club of a fuller.

He was thus killed close to Ophel, and nigh to the spot where a fuller’s shop cut in the rock was found during the PEF excava- tions, 1867-9 (see Recovery of Jerusalem, p. 299). See, further, under art. ZION. Ο. WARREN.