Tobiah
도비야
Named at Nehemiah 2:10 as the Ammonite servant: “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.” The Korean Revised Version reads 종 되었던 암몬 사람 at 2:10 and 종이 되었던 암몬 사람 at 2:19 (the Ammonite who had been a servant), where WEB reads “the Ammonite servant” both times. Nehemiah 4:1–3 says, after Sanballat (WEB “He” at 4:2) speaks before his brothers and the army of Samaria, “Now 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.’”; 6:10–12 says of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, “but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him”; and 6:17–19, “Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. For there were many in Judah sworn to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as wife. Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.” Nehemiah 13:4–5 say that Eliashib the priest, being allied to Tobiah, had prepared for him a great room (the Korean Revised Version names Tobiah at 13:5, 도비야를 위하여, where WEB reads “for him”); and at 13:7–8 the speaker (“I”) came to Jerusalem, understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house, and threw all Tobiah’s household stuff out of the room.
Direct relationships 9
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Source-backed narrative relations; not independent historical verification. Legacy dates and coordinates are outside this review.
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 6:10–14, 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 6:17–19, engwebp
17Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
18For there were many in Judah sworn to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as wife.
19Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
- NEH 13:4–9, engwebp
4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah,
5had prepared for him a great room, where previously they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers; and the wave offerings for the priests.
6But in all this, I was not at Jerusalem; for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king; and after some days I asked leave of the king,
7and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house.
8It grieved me severely. Therefore I threw all Tobiah’s household stuff out of the room.
9Then I commanded, and they cleansed the rooms. I brought into them the vessels of God’s house, with the meal offerings and the frankincense again.
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 9 relationships: AI-assisted, human review pending
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Tobiah — Father of — Jehohanan (son of Tobiah)
Evidence: Nehemiah 6:17–19
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Took part in (8) — 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, Shemaiah the son of Delaiah says to meet in God’s house, within the temple, The letters between the nobles of Judah and Tobiah, The room that Eliashib prepared for Tobiah, and Tobiah’s household stuff thrown out of it
A relationship with an event rests on the passages the event cites: each event’s page has them.
Verses tagged with this entry
Names in the World English Bible text that carry this entry’s tag. They are carried over from the tags on the Korean Revised Version, which are matched by name inside chapters that already have collected evidence, and a verse where the English says “he” carries none. All await human review. They are a separate list from the source passages above. An empty list does not mean the entry is absent from the text.
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?”
Now 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.”
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),
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.”
Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.
Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.
Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah,
and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house.
It grieved me severely. Therefore I threw all Tobiah’s household stuff out of the room.
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[Bibliadatum entry report] Entry: Tobiah (person-tobiah) Address: https://bibliadatum.org/en/wiki/person/tobiah Current wording: Named at Nehemiah 2:10 as the Ammonite servant: “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.” The Korean Revised Version reads 종 되었던 암몬 사람 at 2:10 and 종이 되었던 암몬 사람 at 2:19 (the Ammonite who had been a servant), where WEB reads “the Ammonite servant” both times. Nehemiah 4:1–3 says, after Sanballat (WEB “He” at 4:2) speaks before his brothers and the army of Samaria, “Now 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.’”; 6:10–12 says of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, “but he pronounced this prophecy against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him”; and 6:17–19, “Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them. For there were many in Judah sworn to him because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah; and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as wife. Also they spoke of his good deeds before me, and reported my words to him. Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.” Nehemiah 13:4–5 say that Eliashib the priest, being allied to Tobiah, had prepared for him a great room (the Korean Revised Version names Tobiah at 13:5, 도비야를 위하여, where WEB reads “for him”); and at 13:7–8 the speaker (“I”) came to Jerusalem, understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house, and threw all Tobiah’s household stuff out of the room. 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 6:10–14, engwebp / NEH 6:17–19, engwebp / NEH 13:4–9, 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.