Nehemiah 13:4

_AND BEFORE THIS, ELIASHIB THE PRIEST, HAVING THE OVERSIGHT OF THE CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF OUR GOD, WAS ALLIED UNTO TOBIAH:_ Before this. The practice of these mixed marriages, in open neglect or violation of the law had become so common, that even the pontifical house, which ought to have set a better example, was polluted by such an impure mixture. ELIASHIB THE PRIEST, HAVING THE OVERSIGHT OF THE CHAMBER OF ... OUR GOD - the particular chamber or cell at the ELIASHIB THE PRIEST, HAVING THE OVERSIGHT OF THE CHAMBER OF ... OUR GOD - the particular chamber or cell at the gates, where all things pertaining to the temple service were kept. WAS ALLIED UNTO TOBIAH. This person was the high priest (Nehemiah 12:28; also Nehemiah 3:1), who, by virtue of his d

1-9 Israel was a peculiar people, and not to mingle with the nations. See the benefit of publicly reading the word of God; when it is duly attended to, it discovers to us sin and duty, good and evil, and shows wherein we have erred. We profit, when we are thus wrought upon to separate from evil. Those that would drive sin out of their hearts, the living temples, must throw out its household stuff, and all the provision made for it; and take away all the things that are the food and fuel of lust; this is really to mortify it. When sin is cast out of the heart by repentance, let the blood of Christ be applied to it by faith, then let it be furnished with the graces of God's Spirit, for every good work....

Verse Nehemiah 13:4. _ELIASHIB THE PRIEST_] _Perhaps_ this was a different person from Eliashib the high priest; but there is no indubitable evidence that he was not the same. If he was high priest, he was very unfaithful to the high charge which he had received; and a reproach to the priesthood. He had married his grandson to Sanballat's daughter: this produced a connection with Tobiah, the fast friend of Sanballat; in whose favour he polluted the house of God, giving him one of the chambers for his ordinary residence, which were appointed for the reception of the tithes, oblations, c., that came to the house of God....

The relations of Eliashib, the high priest Nehemiah 3:1, with Tobiah and Sanballat will account for the absence of any reference to him either in Neh. 8–10, or in Nehemiah 12:27. THE CHAMBER - The entire outbuilding, or “lean-to,” which surrounded the temple on three sides 1 Kings 6:5. ALLIED - i. e, “connected by marriage.” Tobiah was married to a Jewess Nehemiah 6:18, who may have been a relation of Eliashib; and his son Johanan was married to another...

EXPOSITION NEHEMIAH'S EFFORTS FOR THE REFORM OF RELIGION (Nehemiah 13:1). After having exercised the office of governor for twelve years, from B.C. 444 to B.C. 432, Nehemiah had had occasion to visit the Persian court, either to consult Artaxerxes personally on certain matters connected with his province, or for some other reason unknown to us. During his absence various evil practices, to which some reference has been already made in connection with the renewal of the covenant (Nehemiah 10:30-16), acquired so much strength, and came to such a head, that, on Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem at the expiration of a year (verse 6),

CHAPTER 13 _ 1. The separation of the mixed multitude (Nehemiah 13:1)_ 2. The unholy alliance repudiated (Nehemiah 13:4) 3. Nehemiah's action in behalf of the Levites and singers (Nehemiah 13:10) 4. Provision for Sabbath observance (Nehemiah 13:15) 5. Nehemiah's protest (Nehemiah 13:23) 6. His own testimony as to his work (Nehemiah 13:30)...

SOME DETAILS OF NEHEMIAH'S RULE. This section, taken for the most part from Nehemiah's memoirs, deals with his zeal for the sanctity of the Temple (Nehemiah 13:4), his organisation for the maintenance of the Levites (Nehemiah 13:10), his reform regarding Sabbath observance (Nehemiah 13:15), and his measures against those who had contracted marriages with aliens (Nehemiah 13:23). Nehemiah 13:28 f. contains some concluding words of Nehemiah. When it is remembered that for twelve years he had been working among the people, enforc

(APPLIES TO NEHEMIAH 13:4): AND BEFORE THIS... THE TWO AND THIRTIETH YEAR OF ARTAXERXES KING OF BABYLON (Nehemiah 13:6). The Artaxeres (= great king) here is Darius Hystaspis. The record here _must_ have been written _after_ the dedication of both Temple (405 B.C.) and Wall (403 B.C.) The thirty-second year is that of the king's age, not of his reign, for he only succeeded Cambyses in 411 B.C. His twentieth year (Nehemiah 5:14) was 419 B.C., when, on the death of Cyrus, Nehemiah was "appointed" to be "governor in the land of Judah". Consequently, Nehemiah's twelve years of governorship end in 407 B.C., two years before the completion and dedication of the Temple, and when Darius Hystaspis had been reigning t

_And before this_ R.V. NOW BEFORE THIS. Clearly the date referred to is that of Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem after his residence at the court described in Nehemiah 13:6. We may assume that Nehemiah's Memoirs embraced the whole interval of twelve years. The Compiler, however, makes no extract from the intervening portion. The words -before this" have therefore no reference to the events of the preceding verses; their retention only shows the exactness with which the extract is reproduced. _Eliashib the priest_ There is scarcely any reason to doubt that this is the same as -Eliashib the high-priest" mentioned in Nehemiah 13:28, and in Nehemiah 3:1;...

ELIASHIB THE PRIEST, &C.— Some are apt to imagine, that this Eliashib was no more than a common priest, because he is said to have _had the oversight of the chambers in the house of God;_ which was an office, they think, too mean for the high-priest. But we cannot see why the oversight of the chambers of the house of God may not import the whole government of the temple, which certainly belonged to the high-priest only; nor can we conceive how any one, who was less than absolute governor of the temple, could make so great an innovation in it. He was assistant, indeed, in the reparation of the walls of the city; but, except in this one act, where do we read of his doing any thing worthy of memory towards the reforming what was amiss either in church or state, in the times either of Ezra or Nehemiah? And yet we cannot but presume, that, had he joined with them in so good a work, some menti...