Follow Bible Fiber wherever you listen to podcasts (Click here for Apple and Spotify) or subscribe Youtube. Nehemiah’s memoir concludes by documenting his second term as an administrator. In this account, he highlights the challenges and accomplishments that defined his final stint of leadership. There is a significant gap in time between Nehemiah 12 and 13. After governing Judah for 12 years, Nehemiah traveled to Susa to report back to King Artaxerxes. Remember, the king easily granted Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem, with the condition that he would eventually return (2:6). True to his promise, Nehemiah returned to the Persian court to update the king on all the events in the Judean province. With the city walls rebuilt, Jerusalem repopulated, and the people reaffirmed in their commitment to follow the covenant, Nehemiah probably felt it was a suitable time to take a break from his duties as governor.
Nehemiah’s memoir mentions he stayed “some time” in Susa (13:6). During this period, the unstable people of Judah fell back into their old sinful behaviors. Without their governor present, they lost their initial determination to follow God’s laws. The crisis Nehemiah encountered upon returning to Judah is reminiscent of the golden calf incident in Exodus. Moses was away from the newly freed slaves for just 40 days while he communed with God on Mount Sinai, yet in that brief time, they abandoned both Moses and Yahweh and created an idol to worship (Ex. 32). While the people did not turn to idolatry during Nehemiah’s absence, they rebelled in other ways. They struggled to maintain basic spiritual disciplines.
Ammonite and Moabite Problem
Chapter 13 begins with a public reading of the laws of Moses, a common event in Nehemiah’s time (13:1). During the reading, the people encountered the section in Deuteronomy that bans Israelites from marrying Ammonites and Moabites indefinitely (Deut. 23:3-5). The community had to address the issue of intermarriage with foreigners once more. Despite efforts by Ezra and Nehemiah to set clear boundaries, intermarriage remained a persistent challenge. In response to the law, the elders of Judah “separated from Israel all those of foreign descent” (13:3).
As both a spiritual and civil leader, Nehemiah was diligent in incorporating Torah mandates whenever he introduced reforms. By holding regular public readings, he showed that he was not ruling arbitrarily; instead, he held the Israelites to their ancient standards as laid out in the laws of Moses. While the covenant terms existed long before Nehemiah, his role was to ensure the restored community adhered to these guidelines. As their leader, he stressed obedience to was divine law in all aspects of life. In this case, the people were reminded that God had long ago decreed they should never marry Ammonites or Moabites.
The Israelites shared a complicated history with the Ammonites and Moabites, both descended from Lot’s incestuous relationship with his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:36-38). These nations, as Judah’s extended kin through Lot, received protected status during Joshua’s conquest. God instructed Joshua’s army not to disturb Moab, having allotted them their land (Deut. 2:9). However, the Moabites did not reciprocate any kinship allegiance to Israel or to Yahweh. When the Israelites attempted to pass through Moab en route to Canaan, the Moabite king hired a seer to curse them (Num. 22-23). As a result of this insult, God banned the Moabites from integrating with Israel (13:2). This edict was not merely punitive but a necessary measure to protect Israel’s religious purity and social stability.
Similarly, kinship did not prevent conflict between the Israelites and the Ammonites. Violent encounters were frequent, and a notable incident occurred when King David sent envoys to express condolences over an Ammonite king’s death. The Ammonites perceived this act as a threat and humiliated David’s envoys by shaving half their beards and cutting their garments at the waist (2 Sam. 10). This attempt at humiliation left a lasting negative impression on Israel’s national memory.
While Ezra prohibited intermarriage with all foreigners when he returned to Jerusalem (Ez. 9-10), Nehemiah specifically emphasized the ban on marrying Ammonites and Moabites. This focused approach was partly due to the increasing issue of Israelite men marrying women from these regions in the postexilic period (13:23). By addressing these specific intermarriages, he aimed to fortify the community’s dedication to their ancestors’ laws and deepen their collective resilience against assimilation.
Tobiah in the Temple
Nehemiah took a hardline stance because, during his absence, his archenemy Tobiah the Ammonite gained influence within the community. Tobiah’s presence was not merely a personal affront but a significant threat to the temple’s integrity. Being an Ammonite was not the only reason for Tobiah’s removal, but it was enough on its own. Tobiah had conspired against Nehemiah throughout the reconstruction efforts (2:10, 19; 4:3, 7). Along with Sanballat, he did everything possible to hinder the rebuilding of the wall and the restoration of Israel.
By marrying into a Jewish noble family, the politically savvy Tobiah gained access to the priesthood in Jerusalem. Leveraging these family connections, he moved into one of the temple storerooms during Nehemiah’s absence. Imagine Nehemiah’s shock upon returning from Susa to discover that his greatest enemy had converted a temple storeroom into his personal quarters. This act was a total breach of trust and disrespect for Israel’s sacred traditions.
Nehemiah’s memoir attributes the blame for this sacrilege to Eliashib, the high priest. Nehemiah states that Eliashib “was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God,” responsible for safeguarding the temple, yet he failed (13:4). Eliashib either allowed his familial ties to Tobiah to cloud his judgment or accepted a bribe. In any case, this failure underscored a dangerous lapse in leadership and the vulnerability of the community to corruption from within. Eliashib actively cleared the storeroom of its sacred contents—offerings, vessels, tithes, and incense—to accommodate Tobiah (13:5). Other priests were likely complicit in this wrongdoing as well.
The storeroom was not a minor structure within the temple complex. Like the sanctuary, it was considered sacred and dedicated to Yahweh. It housed consecrated vessels and incense for temple rituals. The offerings and tithes in the storeroom supported the priests and Levites. In earlier chapters, Nehemiah oversaw the collection of tithes for the storeroom and ensured the priests stored them properly (10:39-40). After their joyful procession around the city walls, they ceremoniously dedicated the storerooms (12:44-47). That sacred objects needed for temple worship were removed to make room for Tobiah was an outrageous act.
Nehemiah described his reaction to this betrayal in the first person. He stated, “I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the room” (13:8). Tobiah had been there long enough to have his own furnishings! Nehemiah ordered the storeroom to be purified before restocking it with vessels, grain offerings, and frankincense (13:9). This purification was both a practical necessity and a symbolic restoration of the temple’s sanctity.
Evidently, while Tobiah was living in the temple complex, the priests and Levites were unable to conduct temple worship and sacrifices without the purified vessels and instruments. Specifically, the priests failed to provide the Levites and singers with their portion of the food offerings (13:10). When this system broke down, the Levites and temple workers were forced to choose between going hungry or leaving the temple to return to their fields (13:10). This disruption had serious implications for the religious life of the community, undermining their ability to uphold regular worship and maintain their connection to God.
Overlap with Malachi
The prophet Malachi observed the same issues in Judah that Nehemiah did. Malachi likely ministered between Nehemiah’s first and second terms in Jerusalem. The complaints made by both the prophet and the governor about the people’s offenses are so similar that they likely occurred at the same time. Malachi accused the people of withholding their tithes and offering blemished sacrifices, attempting to give as little as possible (Mal. 1:6-14; 3:8-10). Both Nehemiah and Malachi were concerned about the Levites, as the tithes were their only source of sustenance (Deut. 12:5-19; 14:22-29). The neglect of tithing undermined the economic stability of the Levites and also reflected a broader spiritual apathy among the people.
It appears that Nehemiah’s issue was primarily with the priests, not the Levites. This was also true for Malachi. He warned the priests that if they did not listen to God and honor His name, they would be cursed, along with their descendants (Mal. 2:3). Nehemiah questioned the priests, asking, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” (13:11). Nehemiah was disappointed in those he had entrusted with maintaining the sanctity of the temple.
The fact that Tobiah was allowed in the temple storeroom reinforced Nehemiah’s concern for the temple’s protection over the actions of the priests. Lacking trust in the high priesthood and its associates, Nehemiah went beyond his usual civil authority to intervene in the temple’s affairs. He appointed four trustworthy men to oversee the collection of tithes and offerings and to act as treasurers for distributing the inventory (13:13). The people responded positively to his actions and brought their tithes to the temple. Their renewed compliance was in response to Nehemiah’s strong, principled action.
Sabbath
Alongside purifying the temple and stopping intermarriage, enforcing Sabbath observance was a key reform focus for Nehemiah. During his absence, the people had become lax in following Sabbath laws. Before he left, they adhered to the rule preventing foreign traders from entering Jerusalem on the Sabbath (10:31). However, upon his return, Nehemiah found Judeans “treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys,” activities that violated the Sabbath day’s rest (13:15). Additionally, they allowed Tyrian merchants to set up markets inside Jerusalem’s gates on the Sabbath (13:16). The Jerusalemites purchased fish and other goods from the Tyrians without hesitation, turning God’s Holy Sabbath into a market day.
Once again, Nehemiah stepped in to address this violation, as the Judean nobles were seemingly ineffective. The Tyrians valued their exclusive trade opportunities on the Sabbath and were reluctant to give them up. Nehemiah responded by reassigning the Levite guards from the temple gates to the city gates, effectively sealing Jerusalem on the Sabbath (13:19). He believed the Levites’ role in safeguarding the temple extended to protecting God’s sacred time, the Sabbath. By closing the city gates to keep out merchants, Nehemiah transformed the Sabbath into a geographical boundary. The Sabbath was synonymous with Jerusalem closed into itself.
Tyrian merchants camped outside the gates, waiting for a chance to enter. Nehemiah warned them of physical repercussions, saying, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you” (13:21). Unlike the Israelites, the Tyrians had no religious obligation to observe the Sabbath. Among all Jewish customs, the Sabbath was the most distinctive, setting them apart from other ancient Near Eastern cultures. While neighboring peoples had harvest festivals and New Moon celebrations like Judah, none dedicated a weekly day of rest for everyone.
Observing the Sabbath was God’s earliest commandment, established at creation and reiterated on Mount Sinai (Gen. 2:3; Ex. 20:8-11). Nehemiah’s fervent defense of the Sabbath aligned him with other biblical figures. Moses had urged the Israelites in the wilderness to refrain from gathering manna on the Sabbath (Ex. 16:22). Before the exile, prophets warned Judah against Sabbath violations. Jeremiah cautioned that breaking the Sabbath would ignite “unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses” (Jer. 17:27). Nehemiah echoed Jeremiah’s warnings that Sabbath violation would provoke God’s wrath once more (13:18). Breaking the Sabbath had previously resulted in punishment, and it could happen again.
Jeremiah promised that if the people kept the Sabbath holy, God would restore David’s throne and the Kingdom of Judah eternally (Jer. 17:24-25). As a nation without a king or independence, the people eagerly hoped for Jeremiah’s prophecy of full restoration to come true.