Nehemiah 13:28

“And 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.”

This verse is found in the book of Nehemiah, which chronicles the story of Nehemiah, a Jewish cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, who returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls and restore the spiritual and social well-being of the Israelites who had returned from exile.

In Nehemiah 13, we find that Nehemiah had previously returned to the Persian court, and during his absence, some of the reforms he had instituted in Jerusalem were neglected. One of the key issues mentioned in this chapter is the intermarriage between Israelites and foreigners, which was strictly prohibited in the Mosaic law.

In verse 28, Nehemiah discovers that one of the sons of Joiada, who was a descendant of the high priest Eliashib, had married the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite. Sanballat was an influential enemy of the Jews who opposed Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. This marriage alliance with an enemy of the Jewish people was a direct violation of the commandments of God.

As a result, Nehemiah took decisive action. He “chased him from me,” which means he expelled this son of Joiada from his presence and from Jerusalem. Nehemiah sought to uphold the sanctity of the covenant between God and His people and to maintain the purity of the Israelite community by separating them from alliances that would compromise their faithfulness to God.

This verse highlights the importance of maintaining spiritual purity and the dangers of compromising one’s allegiance to God by entering into unholy alliances or relationships. It serves as a reminder that obedience to God’s commandments is essential for preserving the integrity of God’s people and ensuring their spiritual well-being.

In the larger context of the book of Nehemiah, this verse underscores the challenges faced by Nehemiah in his efforts to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. It reveals his determination to confront and rectify the violations of God’s law and to maintain the spiritual and social order among the people of Israel.