In brief
Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian are, with Sanballat the Horonite, the main adversaries of Nehemiah when the Jews who returned from exile rebuild the walls of Jerusalem under the reign of Artaxerxes. They mock, accuse the Jews of rebellion, try to lure Nehemiah into a trap and seek to frighten him. Later, Tobiah even settles into a room of the temple. They are remembered because God's work was finished despite the opposition.
What does the name Tobiah and Geshem mean?
Tobiah is a Hebrew name, generally understood as a confession of faith: Yahweh is good. Geshem the Arabian bears a name whose meaning is debated. He is called Gashmu in Nehemiah 6:6, a form generally considered a variant of the same name. The Bible comments on neither name.
The story of Tobiah and Geshem
A great displeasure
Nehemiah 2:10Nehemiah arrives with the letters of King Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem. As soon as they hear of it, Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant are greatly displeased that a man has come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. Opposition is born before the first stone is even lifted.
The first mockery
Nehemiah 2:19-20When the people decide to build, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian ridicule the Jews and despise them: “Will you rebel against the king?” Nehemiah answers with assurance that the God of heaven will give them success, and that these men have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.
The fox on the wall
Nehemiah 4:1-9Sanballat mocks the helpless Jews, and Tobiah adds: “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.” Nehemiah responds with prayer. When the enemies, together with the Arabs and Ammonites, plot to attack, the people pray and set a watch day and night.
The trap in the plain of Ono
Nehemiah 6:1-9With the wall nearly finished, Sanballat and Geshem invite Nehemiah four times to a meeting in the plain of Ono, intending to harm him. He refuses: he has a great work to do. An open letter then claims, citing Gashmu, that the Jews are plotting a rebellion. Nehemiah denounces the lie and prays that God would strengthen him.
A paid false prophet
Nehemiah 6:10-19Sanballat and Tobiah pay Shemaiah to urge Nehemiah to hide in the temple and sin out of fear. Nehemiah sees through the scheme. The wall is finished in fifty-two days, but Tobiah keeps ties with nobles of Judah through family alliances and sends letters to frighten Nehemiah.
Driven out of the temple
Nehemiah 13:4-9During Nehemiah's absence, the priest Eliashib, a relative of Tobiah, prepares a large room for him in the courts of the house of God, where the offerings used to be stored. On his return, Nehemiah throws all of Tobiah's belongings outside, has the rooms cleansed and puts the temple vessels back in them.
What Tobiah and Geshem teaches us
- Every work of God meets opposition, but opposition does not decide the outcome.
- Faced with mockery and intimidation, Nehemiah's first response is prayer, followed by wise action.
- Refusing to leave the work God has given protects against distractions and traps.
- Discernment is needed, because the adversary can use false prophecies and family ties.
- What has no place in the house of God must be removed firmly.
Key verses
Nehemiah's answer to the mockery of Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem: the God of heaven will give success to his servants, and those who oppose have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.
“But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.” Prayer and vigilance go together when facing adversaries.
Nehemiah refuses the meeting proposed by Sanballat and Geshem: he has a great work to do and cannot come down. A simple answer that keeps him from the trap and keeps the work going.
When the wall is finished, the surrounding nations recognize that the work was done by the will of God. The opposition of Tobiah and Geshem could not stop what God wanted to do.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about Tobiah and Geshem
- Nehemiah 4: Pray and Act in the Face of AdversariesThe preacher stresses that Sanballat and Tobiah ridicule the project, with the image of the fox who would knock down the wall: mockery is formidable because it does not merely criticize, it ridicules.
- God Builds a House and Places You in ItThe message notes that, facing the mockery, intimidation and plots of Sanballat and Tobiah, Nehemiah does not retaliate on his own: he prays and does not come down from the wall to argue.
- Nehemiah 10-12: Commit and Rejoice While Waiting for the KingThe preacher recalls the mockery of Tobiah the Ammonite about the fox that would knock down the wall, then shows two whole choirs walking on that same wall while praising God.
- Nehemiah 2: What God Put in Your HeartThe preacher sees in the appearance of Sanballat and Tobiah, as soon as Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, a sign that obstacles will not be lacking for the work God has put on his heart.
Frequently asked questions
Who were Tobiah and Geshem in the Bible?
Tobiah, called the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian were, with Sanballat the Horonite, the adversaries of Nehemiah during the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. They mocked the Jews, accused them of rebellion and tried to frighten Nehemiah. Tobiah also had family ties with nobles of Judah (Nehemiah 6:17-18).
Why did Tobiah and Geshem oppose Nehemiah?
The Bible does not detail all their motives. It says that Sanballat and Tobiah were greatly displeased that a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel (Nehemiah 2:10). With Geshem, they portrayed the rebuilding as a rebellion against the king and tried to stop the work through fear.
Where are Tobiah and Geshem found in the Bible?
Their story is read in the book of Nehemiah: 2:10 and 2:19-20 for the first reactions, chapter 4 for the mockery and threats, chapter 6 for the traps set for Nehemiah, and 13:4-9, where Tobiah is driven out of the room that had been prepared for him in the temple.