Nehemiah 3:26
Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out. Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.
Nehemiah reached Jerusalem in safety on an important mission, carrying royal letters and accompanied by a military escort as an expression of the Persian king's power. His coming stirred jealousy among the heathen tribes living near the city, above all Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian. Those enemies closely watched his movements in order to thwart his plans and hinder his work of building, and this opposition forms the setting of the account in Nehemiah 2, 3, and 4 to which the mention of the Nethinim dwelling in Ophel by the water gate and projecting tower belongs.
That rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall provides a pattern for the restoration of spiritual life. It likewise provides a pattern for family life, where what has been neglected is to be built up again. In both applications God's people are called to repair past neglect and to strengthen their defenses against evil.