This noun denotes a fortified mound or hill, typically referring to the citadel or acropolis within a city. In Jerusalem, it designated a specific fortified area on the southern end of the eastern hill, the Ophel. Nehemiah 3:26-27 mentions it as a district where temple servants lived, with its own wall. 2 Chronicles 27:3 and 33:14 record building projects on Jerusalem's Ophel wall. Isaiah 32:14 uses it in a prophecy of desolation: the hill and watchtower will become dens forever. Micah 4:8 addresses the 'Ophel of the daughter of Zion,' apparently referring to the citadel hill as representative of the city. The term could also apply to Samaria's fortified mound (2 Kings 5:24).