Nehemiah 13 · Verse 4

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:

Nehemiah 13:4, King James Version

Nehemiah 13:4 in other translations

BSB	Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God
WEB	Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah,
ASV	Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being allied unto Tobiah,
YLT	And before this Eliashib the priest, appointed over chambers of the house of our God, is a relation of Tobiah,
DARBY	And before this, Eliashib the priest, who had the oversight of the chambers of the house of our God, a kinsman of Tobijah,
BBE	Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who had been placed over the rooms of the house of our God, being a friend of Tobiah,
Webster	And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied to Tobiah:

What does Nehemiah 13:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 13:4-5

4-5. 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 ... was allied unto Tobiah--This person was the high priest (Ne 13:28; also Ne 3:1), who, by virtue of his dignified office, had the superintendence and control of the apartments attached to the temple. The laxity of his principles, as well as of his practice, is sufficiently apparent from his contracting a family connection with so notorious an enemy of Israel as Tobiah. But his obsequious attentions had carried him much farther; for to accommodate so important a person as Tobiah on his occasional visits to Jerusalem, Eliashib had provided him a splendid apartment in the temple. The introduction of so gross an impropriety can be accounted for in no other way than by supposing that in the absence of the priests and the cessation of the services, the temple was regarded as a common public building, which might, in the circumstances, be appropriated as a palatial residence.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 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 favor 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, etc., that came to the house of God.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Nehemiah 13:1-9

Sabbath-breaking restrained. (15-22) The dismissal of strange wives. (23-31) Verses 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…

Read the full comment on Nehemiah 13:1-9 →

Nehemiah 13:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְלִפְנֵ֣יve.lif.Neiand <to> beforeH6440

מִזֶּ֔הmi.Zehfrom thisH2088

אֶלְיָשִׁיב֙'el.ya.ShivEliashibH475

הַכֹּהֵ֔ןha.ko.Henthe priestH3548

נָת֖וּןna.Tun[was] appointedH5414

בְּלִשְׁכַּ֣תbe.lish.Katover [the] store-room ofH3957

בֵּית\־beit-[the] house ofH1004

אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ'e.lo.Hei.nuGod ourH430

קָר֖וֹבka.Rov[one] nearH7138

לְטוֹבִיָּֽה\׃le.toi.Yahto TobiahH2900

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Nehemiah 13:4

Nehemiah 12:44
And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
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.
Nehemiah 13:28
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.
Nehemiah 6:17-18
Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.
Nehemiah 12:10
And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Eliashib.
7
12:10
having the oversight of. Heb. being set over.
12:44
allied.
28; 6:17,18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Nehemiah 13:3
Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
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:
Nehemiah 13:5
And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.

Read all of Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13:4 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y antes de esto, Eliasib sacerdote, siendo superintendente de la cámara de la casa de nuestro Dios, había emparentado con Tobías,
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et avant cela, Éliashib, le sacrificateur, établi sur les chambres de la maison de notre Dieu, allié de Tobija,
German Elberfelder 1871	Und vor diesem hatte Eljaschib, der Priester, der über die Zellen des Hauses unseres Gottes gesetzt war, ein Verwandter des Tobija,
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et super hoc erat Eliasib sacerdos, qui fuerat præpositus in gazophylacio domus Dei nostri, et proximus Tobiæ.