Eliashib (v. 1) was evidently the grandson of Jeshua (12:10; Ezra 3:2). Construction was an act of consecration because this was a project that God had ordained.
Archaeologists are currently studying the exact location of the wall at many places as well as that of towers and gates. There is debate among them regarding various sites as well as the total extent of the wall. Those who hold to a smaller city are "minimalists"36and those who believe the walls extended farther out are "maximalists."37
"This chapter is one of the most important in the Old Testament for determining the topography of Jerusalem. Though some locations are clear, others are not. Opinions differ widely about whether the wall enclosed the southwest hill today called Mount Zion' (the Maximalist view) or only the original settlement--including the temple area--of the southwest hill of Ophel (the Minimalist view)."38
According to the maximalist view the two and one-half mile wall would have enclosed about 220 acres. According to the minimalist view the wall would have been two miles long and enclosed about 90 acres. The hill of Ophel (lit. swelling or bulge) was the site between the temple area and the City of David. This is the area that Solomon had broadened and filled in when he built the temple.
I think there is better support for the maximalist position.
