Tobiah (Ammonite)
Encyclopedia
Tobiah was an Ammonite official (possibly a governor of Ammon) who incited the Ammonites to hinder Ezra
and Nehemiah
's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem. He, along with Sanballat the Horonite
and Geshem the Arab, resorted to a stratagem, and, pretending to wish a conference with Nehemiah, invited him to meet them at Ono, Benjamin
. Four times they made the request, and every time Nehemiah refused to come. Their object was to frighten him from completing the restoration of Jerusalem's walls and to do him some kind of harm.
Tobiah also had married a daughter of Shecaniah, a Judahite leader, and had given his son, Jehohanan, in marriage to the daughter of Meshullam, another Judahite leader, for ostensibly political purposes. Because of this, he somehow gained enough of a Judahite coalition to use the Judahites themselves to send letters to Nehemiah, telling him of Tobiah's "good deeds" in an apparent attempt to weaken Nehemiah's resolve to keep Tobiah out of the rebuilding effort. Tobiah meanwhile sent intimidating letters directly to Nehemiah.
Additionally, Tobiah had established a close relationship with Eliashib the High Priest, whose grandson had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite
, such that Eliashib leased the storerooms of the temple, intended to be filled with the Israelite's grain offerings, incense, temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine and oil meant for the work of the temple and the temple workers themselves, so that Tobiah could conduct business in the newly constructed temple. Upon hearing this, Nehemiah, who was then in Babylon serving Artaxerxes II (as there was no work at the Temple during the reigns of Darius the Great
, Ahasuerus
(probably Xerxes
), or Artaxerxes I) requested permission to return to Judah. After returning, he promptly threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the temple room, purified the room, and put back all that had originally been there.
Ezra
Ezra , also called Ezra the Scribe and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible he returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem...
and Nehemiah
Nehemiah
Nehemiah ]]," Standard Hebrew Nəḥemya, Tiberian Hebrew Nəḥemyāh) is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work rebuilding Jerusalem and purifying the Jewish community. He was the son of Hachaliah, Nehemiah ]]," Standard Hebrew Nəḥemya, Tiberian Hebrew Nəḥemyāh) is the...
's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem. He, along with Sanballat the Horonite
Sanballat the Horonite
Sanballat the Horonite or Sanballat I was a Samaritan leader and official of the Persian Achaemenid Empire who lived in the mid to late fifth century BC...
and Geshem the Arab, resorted to a stratagem, and, pretending to wish a conference with Nehemiah, invited him to meet them at Ono, Benjamin
Ono, Benjamin
Ono - a town of Benjamin, in the "plain of Ono" ; now Kiryat-Ono, 5 miles north of Lydda , and about 30 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Not succeeding in their attempts to deter Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, Sanballat and Tobiah resorted to stratagem, and pretending to wish a...
. Four times they made the request, and every time Nehemiah refused to come. Their object was to frighten him from completing the restoration of Jerusalem's walls and to do him some kind of harm.
Tobiah also had married a daughter of Shecaniah, a Judahite leader, and had given his son, Jehohanan, in marriage to the daughter of Meshullam, another Judahite leader, for ostensibly political purposes. Because of this, he somehow gained enough of a Judahite coalition to use the Judahites themselves to send letters to Nehemiah, telling him of Tobiah's "good deeds" in an apparent attempt to weaken Nehemiah's resolve to keep Tobiah out of the rebuilding effort. Tobiah meanwhile sent intimidating letters directly to Nehemiah.
Additionally, Tobiah had established a close relationship with Eliashib the High Priest, whose grandson had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite
Sanballat the Horonite
Sanballat the Horonite or Sanballat I was a Samaritan leader and official of the Persian Achaemenid Empire who lived in the mid to late fifth century BC...
, such that Eliashib leased the storerooms of the temple, intended to be filled with the Israelite's grain offerings, incense, temple articles, and the tithes of grain, new wine and oil meant for the work of the temple and the temple workers themselves, so that Tobiah could conduct business in the newly constructed temple. Upon hearing this, Nehemiah, who was then in Babylon serving Artaxerxes II (as there was no work at the Temple during the reigns of Darius the Great
Darius I of Persia
Darius I , also known as Darius the Great, was the third king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire...
, Ahasuerus
Ahasuerus
Ahasuerus is a name used several times in the Hebrew Bible, as well as related legends and Apocrypha. This name is applied in the Hebrew Scriptures to three rulers...
(probably Xerxes
Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:...
), or Artaxerxes I) requested permission to return to Judah. After returning, he promptly threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the temple room, purified the room, and put back all that had originally been there.