Eliashib אֶלְיָשִׁיב
Priest who prepared a room for Tobiah in the temple
Who is Eliashib in the Bible?
Eliashib was a priest in Jerusalem during Nehemiah's governorship who became known for his inappropriate alliance with Tobiah the Ammonite, an opponent of Nehemiah's reform efforts. According to Nehemiah 13.4-7, Eliashib had been put in charge of the temple storerooms and used his position to prepare a large room for Tobiah in the temple courts, converting a space that had previously held grain offerings, incense, and sacred temple articles. When Nehemiah returned and discovered this arrangement, he was deeply displeased and forcibly removed Tobiah's possessions from the temple (Nehemiah 13.7-8). Eliashib's actions illustrate the internal resistance and corruption that threatened Nehemiah's efforts to restore proper worship and maintain the sanctity of the temple during the post-exilic restoration of Jerusalem.
Biography
Eliashib, a priest, is mentioned in Neh.13.4, 7 in relation to his ties with Tobiah the Ammonite, an opponent of Nehemiah. Prior to Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem, Eliashib had been put in charge of the storerooms in the temple (Neh.13.4). However, he allied himself with Tobiah and prepared a large room for him in the temple courts, which had previously been used to store grain offerings, incense, and temple articles (Neh.13.5). Upon learning of this, Nehemiah was greatly displeased and threw out Tobiah's household goods from the room (Neh.13.7-8). This incident highlights the challenges Nehemiah faced in restoring proper worship and order in the temple, even among the priestly ranks.
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentNehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 13:4
"Now before this, Eliashib the priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God"
Study Nehemiah → - Nehemiah 13:7
"to return to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by providing him a room in the courts of the house of God."
Study Nehemiah →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | אֶלְיָשִׁיב |