Sanballat
산발랏
Named at Nehemiah 2:10 as the Horonite: “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” At 2:19, when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, “they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?’”; and at 2:20 the speaker (“I”) answers them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 4:1–2 says, “But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews”, and that he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria words that begin, “What are these feeble Jews doing?”; 4:7–8, “But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry; and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us”; 6:2, “Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.’”; 6:5, “Then Sanballat sent his servant to me the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand”; and 6:10–12 says of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, “I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him, but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”
Direct relationships 7
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Collection & rightsSource evidence (8)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- NEH 2:9–10, engwebp
9Then I came to the governors beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
- NEH 2:19–20, engwebp
19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
20Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.”
- NEH 4:1–3, engwebp
1But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
2He spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, since they are burned?”
3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, “What they are building, if a fox climbed up it, he would break down their stone wall.”
- NEH 4:7–9, engwebp
7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry;
8and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us.
9But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.
- NEH 6:1–4, engwebp
1Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left in it (though even to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),
2Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to harm me.
3I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I can’t come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?”
4They sent to me four times like this; and I answered them the same way.
- NEH 6:5–9, engwebp
5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,
6in which was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Because of that, you are building the wall. You would be their king, according to these words.
7You have also appointed prophets to proclaim of you at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let’s take counsel together.”
8Then I sent to him, saying, “There are no such things done as you say, but you imagine them out of your own heart.”
9For they all would have made us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened from the work, that it not be done.” But now, strengthen my hands.
- NEH 6:10–14, engwebp
10I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home; and he said, “Let us meet together in God’s house, within the temple, and let’s shut the doors of the temple; for they will come to kill you. Yes, in the night they will come to kill you.”
11I said, “Should a man like me flee? Who is there that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.”
12I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him, but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13He was hired so that I would be afraid, do so, and sin, and that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
14“Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear.”
- NEH 13:23–29, engwebp
23In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;
24and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.
25I contended with them, cursed them, struck certain of them, plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons, or for yourselves.
26Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin.
27Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil, to trespass against our God in marrying foreign women?”
28One 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.
29Remember them, my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
AI-assisted, human review pending, 2026-09-26
Machine comparison on 2026-10-07: the wording raised none of the 3 rules against the passages this entry cites. No person has read it.
All 7 relationships: AI-assisted, human review pending
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Took part in (7) — The speaker gives the king’s letters to the governors beyond the River, and it grieves Sanballat and Tobiah exceedingly, Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem ridicule, and the speaker answers them, Sanballat mocks the Jews, and Tobiah the Ammonite, who was by him, speaks, The conspiracy to fight against Jerusalem, and the watch set day and night, Sanballat and Geshem send to meet together in the plain of Ono, Sanballat sends his servant the fifth time with an open letter, Shemaiah the son of Delaiah says to meet in God’s house, within the temple
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When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”
But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews.
But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry;
Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arabian, and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall, and that there was no breach left in it (though even to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates),
Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to harm me.
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,
I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him, but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
“Remember, my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets that would have put me in fear.”
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.
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[Bibliadatum entry report] Entry: Sanballat (person-sanballat) Address: https://bibliadatum.org/en/wiki/person/sanballat Current wording: Named at Nehemiah 2:10 as the Horonite: “When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.” At 2:19, when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite servant, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, “they ridiculed us and despised us, and said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?’”; and at 2:20 the speaker (“I”) answers them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 4:1–2 says, “But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and was very indignant, and mocked the Jews”, and that he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria words that begin, “What are these feeble Jews doing?”; 4:7–8, “But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be filled, they were very angry; and they all conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion among us”; 6:2, “Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, ‘Come! Let’s meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.’”; 6:5, “Then Sanballat sent his servant to me the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand”; and 6:10–12 says of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, “I discerned, and behold, God had not sent him, but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.” Cited evidence: NEH 2:9–10, engwebp / NEH 2:19–20, engwebp / NEH 4:1–3, engwebp / NEH 4:7–9, engwebp / NEH 6:1–4, engwebp / NEH 6:5–9, engwebp / NEH 6:10–14, engwebp / NEH 13:23–29, engwebp Review state: ai-assisted / human-review-pending What looks wrong: (not written yet) --- This collection records what the text says and does not settle interpretation. A report about a reading that divides opinion may be registered as an unresolved issue rather than corrected.