נחמיה, פרק ג׳, פסוק כ״ה

The massive project to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem advances into a highly strategic area in the eastern part of the city, right next to the royal complex. The work of strengthening and repairing continues seamlessly from the previous sections, with new builders taking up the task [מלבי״ם].

The construction in this area is led by Palal the son of Uzai, who focuses his efforts opposite the angle of the wall [מצודת דוד]. This specific zone was situated on the higher part of the mountain [מצודת דוד] and housed the king's palace in the east [מלבי״ם]. Palal builds directly across from a prominent tower that jutted outward from the inner wall [רש״י]. This projecting tower extended from the palace itself and was part of the court of the guard. The primary approach among commentators is that this area served as a prison or internal detention center located squarely within the royal complex [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם].

Interestingly, the prison structure itself seems to have survived the earlier destruction of the city. As a result, the current restoration effort only requires rebuilding the city wall that stands opposite it [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This palace prison courtyard was entirely separate from the similarly named prison gate mentioned later in the records, which was located near the Temple [מלבי״ם].

Following Palal, the construction is taken up by Pedaiah the son of Parosh. The primary approach among commentators is that Pedaiah simply picked up the work exactly where Palal left off, continuing the repair of the wall from that point [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. However, a different perspective suggests a broader collaborative effort. According to this view, Pedaiah joined forces with the temple servants who lived in the higher area of the city. Together, they built the eastern wall opposite the tower, extending their work all the way to the area of the Water Gate [רלב״ג].