Nehemiah 2:10

_WHEN SANBALLAT THE HORONITE, AND TOBIAH THE SERVANT, THE AMMONITE, HEARD OF IT, IT GRIEVED THEM EXCEEDINGLY THAT THERE WAS COME A MAN TO SEEK THE WELFARE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL._ Sanballat the Horonite. Horonaim being a town in Moab, this person, it is probable, was a Moabite. TOBIAH THE SERVANT, THE AMMONITE. The term used indicates him to have been a freed slave elevated to some official dignity. These were district magistrates under the government of the satrap of Syria; and they seem to have been leaders of the Samaritan faction....

9-18 When Nehemiah had considered the matter, he told the Jews that God had put it into his heart to build the wall of Jerusalem. He does not undertake to do it without them. By stirring up ourselves and one another to that which is good, we strengthen ourselves and one another for it. We are weak in our duty, when we are cold and careless....

Verse Nehemiah 2:10. _SANBALLAT THE HORONITE_] Probably a native of Horonaim, a _Moabite_ by birth, and at this time governor of the Samaritans under the king of Persia. _TOBIAH THE SERVANT_] He was an _Ammonite_; and here, under the Persian king, joint governor with Sanballat. Some suppose that the Sanballat here mentioned was the same who persuaded Alexander to build a temple on Mount Gerizim in favour of the Samaritans. Pelagius thinks there were two governors of this name....

The name Sanballat is probably Babylonian the first element being the same which commences “Sennacherib,” namely, “Sin,” the moon-God, and the second balatu, “eminent” (?),which is found in the Assyrian name, Bel-balatu. As a Horonite, he was probably a native of one of the Bethhorons, the upper or the lower (see Joshua 16:3, Joshua 16:5; 2 Chronicles 8:5), and therefore born within the limits of the old kingdom of Samaria. Tobiah seems to have been an Ammonite slave, high in the favor of Sanballat, whom he probably served as secretary Nehemiah 6:17 and chief adviser. It gri

EXPOSITION NEHEMIAH'S JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM (Nehemiah 3:9). On his way to Jerusalem, Nehemiah would pass through the provinces of various Persian satraps and governors. To those beyond the Euphrates he carried letters, which he took care to deliver, though by doing so he aroused the hostility of San-ballat. Being accompanied by an escort of Persian soldiers, he experienced neither difficulty nor danger by the way, but effected his journey in about three months. NEHEMIAH 2:9 I CAME TO THE GOVERNORS BEYOND THE RIVER. Josephus gives the name of the satrap, of Syria at this time as Adieus ('Ant. Jud; Neh

TOBIAH Two Tobiahs are distinguished by many: (1) "Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite," (Nehemiah 2:10); (Nehemiah 2:19); Heh 4:3,7 6:1,12,14. (2) A Jew, unable to prove his genealogy. But the reference to the latter (Nehemiah 7:62) indicates that he was already dead. But one Tobiah, and he the Ammonite, is active in this book....

CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The King's question (Nehemiah 2:1)_ 2. The King's permission (Nehemiah 2:3) 3. The arrival in Jerusalem and the night-ride (Nehemiah 2:9) 4. The resolution to build the wall (Nehemiah 2:17) 5. The ridicule of the enemy, and Nehemiah's answer (Nehemiah 2:19) Nehemiah 2:1. The last sentence of the previous chapter, “For I was the king's cupbearer,” belongs to this chapter. Nehemiah is seen exercising the

NEHEMIAH ARRIVES IN JERUSALEM AND SURVEYS THE WALLS. Nehemiah 2:9. The account of the journey is omitted, interest being centred upon what Nehemiah was going to do in Jerusalem. THE GOVERNORS BEYOND THE RIVER: namely of the provinces on the west of the Euphrates; as Nehemiah would almost certainly pass through Hamath and Damascus, the two most important cities in Syria, the governors here resident are probably intended. THE KING. HORSEMEN: _cf._ Nehemiah 4:16; Nehemiah 4:23; this body-guard remained with Nehemiah in Jerusalem. Contrast Ezra 8:22....

SANBALLATIN An Aramaic papyrus, recently (1909) discovered at Elephantine (in Egypt), was written by two Jews (Delaya and Shelemya) to the sons of this Sanballat, who is called the "governor of Samaria". Here ends the fourth of the ten _Sedarim_ (or, Cycles for public reading) which commenced with Ezra 8:35. thus showing that the two books were and are to be regarded as one. TOBIAH THE SERVANT. Probably. freed slave. HEARD. Nehemiah had come through Samaria. Compare Nehemiah 4:1. IT GRIEVED THEM. This is the first of six (see App-10) forms which the opposition took. CHILDREN. sons. ISRAEL. Again used of Judah. See note on Ezra 2:2, and...

_b_ 73 _a_. The Register of those who returned with Zerubbabel = Ezra 2:1-70 _a register of the genealogy_ R.V. THE BOOK. _of them which came up at the first_ The only natural explanation of these words is that Nehemiah found in the archives of Jerusalem the list of those that accompanied Zerubbabel from Babylon. This seems to be conclusively proved (_a_) by the words in Nehemiah 2:5, -I found," -who came up at the first," -found written therein," and Nehemiah 2:7, -who came with Zerubbabel," (_b_) by the position of the parallel extract in Ezra 2:1-70. Nehemiah recognises the national importance