And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.
Parallel translations
- WEB One of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me.
- BSB 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.
- NKJV And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.
- NASB Even one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, became a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, so I chased him away from me.
- NLT One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, so I banished him from my presence.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A grandson of the high priest Eliashib had married Sanballat's daughter, so Nehemiah drove him away. It matters because even the highest priestly family had compromised with God's enemies and required correction.
Overview
The marriage tie between the high-priestly line and Sanballat, a leading opponent, defiled the priesthood at its summit. Nehemiah's expulsion of the offender shows that no rank exempts anyone from God's standards. This corruption at the top reveals the need for a perfectly pure High Priest, found only in Christ, undefiled and holy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Neh 2:19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?
- Neh 6:17–19Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.
- Neh 3:1Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.
- Neh 12:10And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,
- Neh 2:10When 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.
- Neh 12:22The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers: also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian.
- Neh 13:25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
- Neh 13:4–5And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah:
- Prov 20:8A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
- Rom 13:3–4For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
- Prov 20:26A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.
- Ps 101:8I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 13:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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