Original Word: עֹפֶל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `ophel
Pronunciation: OH-fel
Phonetic Spelling: (o'-fel)
KJV: emerod, fort, strong hold, tower
Word Origin: [from H6075 (עָפַל - To grow dark)]

1. a tumor
2. also a mound, i.e. fortress

emerod, fort, strong hold, tower

From aphal; a tumor; also a mound, i.e. Fortress -- emerod, fort, strong hold, tower.

see HEBREW aphal

I. עֹ֫פֶל noun [masculine] mound, hill, only as acropolis; — ׳ע absolute 2 Kings 5:24 +, construct Micah 4:8; — fortified mound or hill within city, or Jerusalem (compare Rob^{BR i. 267} Gu^{ZPV v (1882), 326}) Micah 4:8; Isaiah 32:14; south end of eastern hill Nehemiah 3:26; Nehemiah 11:21; 2Chronicles 33:14 ׳חוֺמַת הָע Nehemiah 3:27; 2Chronicles 27:3 (compare חמת העפל in קרחה MI^{21, 22}); of Samaria 2 Kings 5:24.

II. [עֹ֫פֶל] noun masculine^{1Samuel 6:4} tumour; — only plural Kt (בָּ)עֳפָלִים Deuteronomy 28:27; 1 Samuel 5:6,9,12; construct עָפְלֵי 1 Samuel 6:4; suffix עָפְלֵיכֶם 1 Samuel 6:5; Qr in all (ב)טְחֹרִים, טְחֹרֵי, טְחֹרֵיכֶם, see [ טְחוֺר].

Overview

עֹפֶל appears nine times in the Old Testament and is applied to two seemingly unrelated ideas: a painful swelling inflicted in judgment and a fortified elevation associated with security and dominion. In both senses the word becomes a vivid emblem—either of divine chastisement when covenant boundaries are crossed or of divinely granted protection and rule when those boundaries are honored.

Occurrences

• Deuteronomy 28:27
• 1 Samuel 5:6, 9, 12; 6:4, 5
• 2 Kings 5:24
• Isaiah 32:14
• Micah 4:8

Affliction and Judgment

Deuteronomy 28:27 warns that covenant unfaithfulness will bring “boils of Egypt, with tumors, scabs, and itch, from which you cannot be healed.” The same affliction falls on the Philistines who seize the ark: “The hand of the LORD was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, terrorizing and afflicting them with tumors” (1 Samuel 5:6). The narrative climaxes in 1 Samuel 6:4–5 where the diviners prescribe “five gold tumors and five gold rats” as a guilt offering, acknowledging the God of Israel’s supremacy.

Key themes:
• Sin invites physical and social breakdown.
• God’s judgments are unmistakably directed and proportionate.
• Even pagans recognize and honor His sovereignty when confronted by it.

Fortification and Dominion

1 Kings 5:24 records Gehazi hiding Naaman’s former gifts “at the hill,” a topographical feature offering concealment. The prophets use the term symbolically. Isaiah announces impending desolation: “The fortress and watchtower will become caves forever” (Isaiah 32:14), revealing that military strength without righteousness collapses. Micah turns the image to hope: “As for you, O tower of the flock, O stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you” (Micah 4:8). Here the raised stronghold pictures the messianic kingdom’s security and restored authority.

Key themes:
• Earthly strongholds depend on covenant faithfulness for permanence.
• The coming reign of the Messiah is portrayed as an elevated, unassailable refuge.

Historical Backdrop

Ancient Near Eastern cities were commonly built on mounds created by successive layers of occupation. Such elevations allowed walls to dominate the surrounding terrain, making them formidable defenses. In Jerusalem a specific ridge south of the Temple Mount came to be called the Ophel; later canonical books refer to that area with the related form עֹפֶל (Strong’s 6077), underscoring the continuity between physical geography and theological symbolism.

Theological Significance

1. Judgment and Mercy. The same word that depicts tumors in Philistia is used by the prophets to promise an elevated, secure Zion. Judgment and restoration are two sides of covenant relationship.
2. Holistic Discipleship. Physical affliction, political collapse, and spiritual apostasy are integrated in Scripture’s view of human life. Obedience brings wholeness; rebellion brings disintegration.
3. Messianic Expectation. Micah 4:8 places the ultimate stronghold in the context of the coming King, connecting the idea of ophel to the universal reign of Christ.

Ministry Application

• Call to Repentance: The Philistine narrative offers a clear picture of how swiftly the fear of the Lord can fall on those opposing His glory. It prompts self-examination and humble confession.
• Assurance of Protection: Believers can rest in the promise that their security is grounded not in human fortifications but in the exalted reign of the Messiah.
• Teaching on Stewardship: Gehazi’s misuse of the “hill” by hiding ill-gotten wealth warns against manipulating positions of trust for personal gain.
• Eschatological Hope: Micah’s vision fuels anticipation of a restored, righteous governance under Christ, encouraging perseverance amid present instability.

Key Points for Teaching and Preaching

1. God alone determines whether an ophel functions as a curse or a blessing.
2. Physical realities in Scripture often carry moral and spiritual freight; the same landscape can witness both downfall and deliverance.
3. The pattern of humiliation before exaltation shapes the larger biblical story—from Ashdod’s tumors to Zion’s triumph, culminating in the cross and resurrection.

The nine uses of עֹפֶל, though few, weave a robust biblical theology of judgment, refuge, and restoration, setting present experience within the panoramic purposes of God.

בַּטְּחֹרִ֑ים בַּטְּחֹרִ֔ים בטחרים הָעֹ֔פֶל העפל וּבַטְּחֹרִ֔ים ובטחרים טְחֹרִֽים׃ טְחֹרֵ֣י טְחֹרֵיכֶ֜ם טחרי טחריכם טחרים׃ עֹ֛פֶל עֹ֣פֶל עפל ‘ō·p̄el ‘ōp̄el baṭ·ṭə·ḥō·rîm battechoRim baṭṭəḥōrîm hā‘ōp̄el hā·‘ō·p̄el haOfel Ofel ṭə·ḥō·rê ṭə·ḥō·rê·ḵem ṭə·ḥō·rîm techoRei techoreiChem techoRim ṭəḥōrê ṭəḥōrêḵem ṭəḥōrîm ū·ḇaṭ·ṭə·ḥō·rîm ūḇaṭṭəḥōrîm uvattechoRimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts