Sanballat

Biblical Account

Sanballat appears only in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Scripture calls him "the Horonite," though it is unclear what place "Horon" refers to. His name is generally explained as deriving from the Akkadian Sin-uballit ("Sin [the moon god] has given life").

• The beginning of opposition (Nehemiah 2:10, 2:19): When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem with the permission of the king of Persia, Sanballat and Tobiah the Ammonite were deeply grieved. Later, together with Geshem the Arabian, he mocked the wall-building project and demanded to know whether the builders intended to rebel against the king.
• Ridicule and a plot to attack (Nehemiah 4:1–8): Sanballat derided the Jews "before his brethren and the army of Samaria." As work on the wall continued, he conspired with others to attack Jerusalem. In response, Nehemiah divided the people so that some worked while others stood guard with weapons.
• Enticement and slander (Nehemiah 6:1–14): Sanballat and Geshem sent messengers four times to lure Nehemiah out to the plain of Ono. Nehemiah refused, saying, "I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down" (Nehemiah 6:3). The fifth time, they sent an open letter reporting a rumor that Nehemiah intended to make himself king. Tobiah and Sanballat also hired Shemaiah to frighten Nehemiah into hiding inside the temple (Nehemiah 6:12). Despite this opposition, the wall was completed in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15).
• Marriage into the high priestly family (Nehemiah 13:28): A grandson of the high priest Eliashib, one of the sons of Joiada, became Sanballat's son-in-law. Nehemiah drove him away.

Significance Within Scripture

In the Book of Nehemiah, Sanballat represents the outside forces that obstructed the rebuilding efforts of the returned exiles. His opposition takes the form of ridicule, military threats, enticement, false rumors, and the hiring of a false prophet. Nehemiah responds with prayer and watchfulness, posting guards and seeing the work through to completion. The marriage account in chapter 13 illustrates the problem of foreign influence mingling with the temple leadership. Sanballat's name does not appear in Ezra or in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Office: The Book of Nehemiah does not state Sanballat's position. However, papyrus documents from Elephantine in Egypt, dating to the late fifth century BC, mention "Sanballat, governor of Samaria" and his sons. For this reason, many scholars regard him as governor of the Samaria region.
• A later figure of the same name: The Jewish historian Josephus reports that a Sanballat living in the time of Alexander the Great built a temple on Mount Gerizim for his son-in-law. Because this account resembles Nehemiah 13:28, some scholars hold that Josephus confused the periods, while others propose that a later governor bore the same name.
• Distinguishing the text from later traditions: Explanations that directly connect Sanballat with the origins of the Samaritan community or with the temple on Mount Gerizim are not found in the biblical text. They derive from extrabiblical sources and scholarly inference.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Sanballat is discussed mainly in sermons and Bible studies on Nehemiah, where he and Tobiah serve as examples of "forces that oppose the work of God." Nehemiah 6:3 in particular is frequently quoted in sermons calling for commitment to church building projects or to ministry. Some sermons interpret Sanballat figuratively as Satan or as inner temptation, but such readings are applications rather than what the text itself directly states.