ence to Sanballat the Horonite. This individual seems to have been the governor of Samaria at that time. Horonite is thought by some to be derived from the name of a town in Moab. This hardly seems reasonable, however, for then would he not have been called a Moabite as was Ru t h? The KeOl-Delitsch Commen tary traces the term to Beth-horon, a town in Ephraim, but in Nehe- miah’s day in the possession of the Samaritans. Tobiah the Ammonite, called “the servant,” seems clearly to have been the servant of Sanballat, probably serving as his master’s secretary and confidential adviser. When the letters from Artaxerxes were delivered, one of them came to Sanballat and Tobiah who were much displeased by its contents. Be fore this time the Samaritans had been filled with hatred at the sight of the returning Jews and had done their best to disrupt the work. Upon reaching Jerusalem, Nehe miah (like Ezra before him) rested for three days, doubtless spending a considerable portion of the time in prayer. Then he made a most impor tant night survey (w. 12-16). Nehemiah left Jerusalem by the valley gate on the west side of the city. No one now knows the exact location of the dragon well. He then rode on to the dung port at the southwest comer of the city. Refuse from the city streets was taken out by this gate. The walls on this side of Jerusalem he found to be “bro ken down,” the gates themselves “consumed with fire.” He then trav eled to the southeast corner of the city where “the gate of the foun tain” was located. Just inside this was the reservoir, called “the king’s pool.” At this point, because of the rubbish, the beast he was riding had to be abandoned. Nehemiah next traversed the east side of the city, walking along the brook Kidron. During most of the year the bed of this brook was com-
Radio station managers from Oregon and Wash ington recently visited the Biola Campus to see first-hand how the Lord has been working in the school's development. Pictured above from left to right are Mr. Arvid Erickson, gen eral manager KBBO, Yakima, Washington; Mr. William Eitzen, director of Campus Activities; Mr. Al Sanders, vice president of Public Rela tions; Mr. Larry Gordon, general manager of radio station KWIL Albany, Oregon; Mr. Bud Chandler, general manager of radio station KCFA, Spokane, Washington; and Mr. Robert Ball, general manager of radio station KPDQ, Portland, Oregon (Mr. Ball is also president of the Western Chapter of the National Reli gious Broadcasters). Groups are always wel come to visit the Biola Campus. Tours may readily be arranged.
pletely dry, but in the rainy season it became a torrent. Beyond it lay the Mount of Olives. From the side of the stream he could get a com plete view of the condition of the walls along the east. Then Nehemiah apparently retraced his steps, going back in by the same gate from which he had left the city. Now this man of God was ready to exhort the people to reconstruct the walls (w. 17, 18). He called the rulers, and to them he spoke of their distress due to the wasted condi tion of city and walls. As soon as they began the job, op position arose. Enemies made an at tack, first by ridicule, then by false accusation. Involved with Sanballat and Tobiah in this opposition was another enemy now introduced for the first time—Geshem the Arabian (v. 19). 32
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