Bible Strands
Nehemiah 13:4
Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nehemiah addresses the returned community during his second term as governor, documenting temple reforms immediately after the covenant renewal. He pauses his narrative of purification to clarify the prior administrative arrangement before the current crisis.
The words — נָת֖וּן (na.Tun) means [was] appointed, and בְּ/לִשְׁכַּ֣ת (be./lish.Kat) specifies over/ [the] store-room of. These terms ground the verse in official temple administration rather than personal patronage.
The thread — The oversight of temple supplies recurs in Nehemiah 12:44, while Tobiah’s political network is established in Nehemiah 2:10 and Nehemiah 6:17. These passages trace a recurring pattern of foreign alliance intersecting with sacred duties.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to verify who controls temple resources and by what authority. It demands that institutional appointments be evaluated against covenant loyalty rather than kinship or political convenience.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah:
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 12:44 And on that same day men were appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions, firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who were serving.
- Nehemiah 2:10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
- Nehemiah 6:17 Also in those days, the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters kept coming to them.
- Nehemiah 13:28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.
- Nehemiah 12:10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada,