SANBALLAT, the Chief or Governor of the Cuthites or Samaritans, and was always a great Enemy to the Jews. He was a Native of Horon, or Horonaim, a City beyond Jordan, in the Country of the Moabites. When Nehemiah came from Shushan to Jerusalem1, and began to build the Walls of Jerusalem, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem made themselves Sport with him, and sent to know upon what Authority he undertook this Enterprize, and whether this was not a Revolt against the King. But Nehemiah answered them, ‘Tis the God of Heaven that assists us, and we are his Servants: As for you Cuthites, you have no Part or Right in Jerusalem, and your Names shall be forgot there. But Nehemiah proceeding with Vigour in his Undertaking, Sanballat was extremely provoked, and said before the Samaritans; What are Nehem. iv. 1, 7.these poor Jews a-doing? Will the People let them go on? Will they finish their Work, and dedicate it one Day? Will they build with these Stones that the Fire has destroyed and reduced to Dust? All these Objections did not make Nehemiah desist, or abate his Courage and Zeal, but he proceeded with so much Diligence and Perseverance, that at last the Walls of Jerusalem were intirely compleated.
Then Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem2, sent to Nehemiah, to desire him to come along with them into the Field, that there they might enter into an Alliance together, and swear inviolable Friendship to each other: But Nehemiah perceived this was only a Stratagem to surprize him, and to do him some Violence. He therefore sent Word, that he was engaged in a great Work that required his constant Attendance, and which he could not intermit upon any Account. They made him the same Invitation four times together, and he as often returned the same Answer. At last Sanballat writ to him in such Terms as these, ” There ” is a Report spread among the People, ” and Geshem confidently affirms it, that ” you and the Jews intend a Revolt: That ” your Design in Rebuilding the Walls of ” Jerusalem, is to declare yourself King of ” the Jews; that with this View you have ” suborned Prophets to suggest to the ” People, that you ought to be King of the ” whole Country. Now as all these Things ” are to be represented to the King, it will ” be convenient for you to give us a Meeting, that we may confer together about ” ‘em.” But instead of going himself, Nehemiah only sent a Messenger to tell him, that these Things were all of his own Invention, and had nothing of Truth in them. Nehem. vi. 10.Sanballat also had gained over to his Interest a certain false Prophet called Shemaiah, who would have intimidated Nehemiah, advising him to shut himself up in the Temple, to prevent any Attempt upon his Life. But Nehemiah, by his great Prudence, avoided falling into this Snare.
Nehemiah being obliged to return to King Artaxerxes to Shushan3, in this Interim, the High-Priest Eliashib married his Grandson Manasseh, the Son of Joiada, to a Daughter of Sanballat, and he allowed one called Tobiah, a Kinsman of Sanballat’s, to have an Apartment in the Temple. But Nehemiah at his Return to Jerusalem4, drove Tobiah out of the Temple, and would not suffer Manasseh, the High-Priest’s Grandson, to continue in the City, nor to perform the Functions of the Priesthood. Manasseh being thus expelled, retired to his Father-in-Law Sanballat, who provided him the Means of exercising his Priestly Office upon Mount Gerizim, upon the following Occasion.
When Alexander the Great came into Phenicia5, and lay down before the City of Tyre, Sanballat quitted the Interests of Darius King of Persia, and went at the Head of Eight thousand Men, to offer his Service to Alexander. This Prince readily entertained him, and being much sollicited by him, gave him Leave to erect a Temple upon Mount Gerizim, where he constituted his Son-in-Law Manasseh the High-Priest. Sanballat must at this time be very old, for One hundred and twenty Years before, that is, in the Year of the World 3550, he was then Governor of the Samaritans. Indeed, some have been of Opinion6, that the Sanballat who lived in the Time of Alexander, was different from that Sanballat who so eagerly opposed Nehemiah; but we see no absolute Necessity of admitting this.7 However, Josephus makes Sanballat a Cuthite originally, and makes no mention of him that withstood Nehemiah. The Wife of Manasseh he calls by the Name of Nicaso, and says, that Sanballat died nine Months after he had submitted himself to Alexander.
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Footnotes
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Nehem. ii. 10. 19. In the Year of the World 3550, before Christ 450, before the Vulgar Era 454. ↩
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Nehem. vi. 1, 2, 3, & ↩
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In the Year of the World 3550, before Christ 450. before the Vulgar Era 454. ↩
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The exact Year of his Return is not known. ↩
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Joseph. Antiq. l. 11. c. ult. In the Year of the World 3672, before Christ 328. before the Vulgar Era 322. ↩
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Translators’ note. Dr. Prideaux in his Connexion of the Histories of the Old and New Testament, rejects the Solution of this Difficulty, by supposing two Sanballats, and endeavours to reconcile it to Truth and Probability, by shewing it to be a Mistake of Josephus. This Author makes Sanballat to flourish in the Time of Dar- ius Codomannus, and to build his Temple upon Mount Gerizim by Licence from Alexander the Great; whereas it was performed by Leave from Darius Nothus, in the fifteenth Year of his Reign. This takes away the Difficulty arising from the great Age of Sanballat, and brings him to be Cotemporary with Nehemiah, as the Scripture History requires. ↩
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Nehem. xiii. 6, 28. In the Year of the World 3563, before Christ 437, before the Vulgar Era 441. ↩