TOBIAH

(To·biʹah) [Jehovah is good).

1. Forefather of some returned exiles who were unable to establish their Israelite genealogy.—Ezra 2:1, 59, 60; Neh. 7:61, 62.

2. An opponent of Nehemiah. Tobiah was “the servant,” likely some official under the Persian king. (Neh. 2:19) Both he and his son Jehohanan married Jewish women, and Tobiah was also related to High Priest Eliashib. This put Tobiah in a position of advantage for undermining Nehemiah’s authority, in that many Jews looked up to and spoke highly of Tobiah.—6:17-19; 13:4; compare 3:4; 7:6, 7, 10.

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, Tobiah and his associates were displeased with Israel’s brightening prospect. (Neh. 2:9, 10) At first they merely derided and mocked the Jews (2:19; 4:3), but when the wall rebuilding made progress, they became angrier. However, various conspiracies—to kill off the Jews (4:7-9, 11, 14, 15), and an attempt to get Nehemiah to violate the sanctity of the temple (6:1, 10-13)—all failed. Even after the walls were completed, Tobiah through correspondence with his sympathizers in Jerusalem, attempted to intimidate Nehemiah. (6:16-19) Properly, therefore, Nehemiah asked Jehovah to remember the many wicked deeds of Tobiah and his confederates. (6:14) On his second arrival from Babylon, when Nehemiah found a dining room in the temple court reserved for Tobiah he promptly threw Tobiah’s things out.—13:4-9.