Nehemiah 13:4

4 And upon these things was Eliashib, the priest, that was sovereign in the chamber of the house of our God, and was the neighbour of Tobiah . (And upon these things was the High Priest Eliashib, who was the ruler, or the overseer, of the storerooms of the House of our God, and was the neighbour, or the friend, of Tobiah.)

Nehemiah 13:4 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 13:4

And before this
Before the above law was read, and observed and acted upon:

Eliashib the priest;
whom some take to be a common priest; so Bishop Usher F1; but he seems rather to be the high priest, by comparing it with ( Nehemiah 13:28 ) ,

having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God;
which has led some to the notion of his being a common priest; but chamber may be put for chambers, and those for the whole house or temple, which the high priest had the greatest concern in, and oversight of:

was allied to Tobiah;
the servant and Ammonite, an inveterate enemy of the Jews, ( Nehemiah 2:10 Nehemiah 2:20 ) , having married a daughter of Shecaniah, and his son a daughter of Meshullam, who were both priests, and so as it seems related to Eliashib, ( Nehemiah 6:18 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F1 Annal. Vet. Test. p. 200.

Nehemiah 13:4 In-Context

2 for they met not the sons of Israel with bread and water, and they hired against the sons of Israel Balaam, for to curse them; and our God turned the cursing into blessing. (for they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but instead they hired Balaam against the Israelites, to curse them; but our God turned the curse into a blessing.)
3 And it was done, when the people had heard the law, they separated each alien from Israel (they set apart, or excluded, all foreigners from the Israelite community).
4 And upon these things was Eliashib, the priest, that was sovereign in the chamber of the house of our God, and was the neighbour of Tobiah . (And upon these things was the High Priest Eliashib, who was the ruler, or the overseer, of the storerooms of the House of our God, and was the neighbour, or the friend, of Tobiah.)
5 Therefore he made to him a great chamber in the house of God; and there before him were men that kept the gifts that were offered, and incense, and diverse vessels, and the tithe of wheat, of wine, and of oil, and the parts of deacons, and of singers, and of porters, and the first fruits of priests. (And so Eliashib gave Tobiah a large room at the House of God, that was used to store the grain offerings, and the incense, and the Temple vessels, and the tithes of corn, and of wine, and of oil, that is, the portions, or the contributions, for the Levites, and the singers, and the guards, or the doorkeepers, and the first fruits for the priests.)
6 And in all these things I was not in Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I came to the king, and in the end of days I prayed the king. (And at this time I was not in Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, the king of Babylon, I went and reported to the king, but after some number of days, I was granted leave to return to Jerusalem.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.