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the western hill as Mount Zion, the arguments in favor of identifying it with the eastern
hill seem very strong. These it would, of course, be impossible here to detail. But we
may say that the history of David's purchase of the threshing-floor of Ornan the
Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:16-24; 1 Chronicles 21:15-25)conveys these two facts, that the
Jebusites had settlements on the western hill, and that David's palace (which, as we
know, was in the City of David) was close by, only a little lower than Mount Moriah,
since David so clearly saw from his palace the destroying Angel over the threshing-
floor of Ornan. All this agrees with the idea, that the original stronghold of the
Jebusites was on the slopes of Moriah and Ophel, and that David built his palace in that
neighborhood, below the summit of Moriah.^138
Lastly, if the term "Mount Zion" included Moriah, we can understand the peculiar
sacredness which throughout Holy Scripture attaches to that name. Be this as it may,
the regular quarter of the Jebusites was on the western hill, towards the slope of the
Tyropoeon, while the Jewish Benjamite quarter (the Upper City) was on the higher
terrace above it (eastwards). Fort Millo was on the north-eastern angle of the Western
City. Here King David had continued the wall, which had formerly enclosed the
western hill northward and westward, drawing it eastward, so as to make (the western)
Jerusalem a complete fortress (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8). On the opposite
(eastern) side of the Tyropoeon was the equally fortified (later) Ophel. Solomon now
connected these two fortresses by enlarging Millo and continuing the wall across the
Tyropoeon (1 Kings 3:1; 9:15; 11:27).
Without referring to the various buildings which Solomon reared, it may be safely
asserted that the city must have rapidly increased in population. Indeed, during the
prosperous reign of Solomon it probably attained as large, if not larger, proportions
than at any time before the Exile. The wealthier part of the population occupied the
western terraces of the west hill - the Upper City - the streets running north and south.
The eastern slopes of the west hill were covered by "the middle city" (2 Kings 20:4,
marginal rendering). It will have been noticed, that as yet only the southern parts of
both the eastern and western hills of Jerusalem had been built over King Solomon now
reared the Temple on Mount Moriah, which formed the northern slope of the eastern
hill, while the increase of the population soon led to building operations on the side of
the western hill opposite to it. Here the city extended beyond the old wall, north of "the
middle city," occupying the northern part of the Tyropoeon. This was "the other" or
"second part of the city" (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22; Nehemiah 11:9, the
"maktesh" or "mortar" of Zephaniah 1:11). Here was the real business quarter, with its
markets, "fishgate," "sheepgate," and bazaars, such as the "Baker Street" (Jeremiah
37:21), the quarters of the goldsmiths and other merchants (Nehemiah 3:8, 32), the
"valley of the cheesemongers," etc. This suburb must have been soon enclosed by a
wall. We do not know when or by whom the latter was commenced, but we have
(^)