Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Nehemiah 13:28-29
The Banishment Of A Member Of The High Priest's Family For Marrying A Non-Israelite Woman And Thus Disobeying God's Law And Defiling The Priesthood (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.'
It may here have been Joiada, the son of Eliashib, who was High Priest, or it may at this stage have been the Elisashib who was still High Priest, the Hebrew could mean either. But the important point is that the High Priest had condoned the marriage of Joiada's son to the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, something forbidden in Scripture. For the Law was quite clear on the fact that a member of the High Priest's family, who could at some stage act as High Priest, could only marry a woman who was a trueborn Israelite virgin (Leviticus 21:14). This was why he was seen as having ‘defiled the priesthood' (Nehemiah 13:29) by marrying a syncretistic Yahwist who was not a true born Israelite.
The fact that this meant that Sanballat, Nehemiah's arch-enemy, had thereby gained considerable political influence in Israel, being able to influence the High Priest himself (the marriage would not have happened without the High Priest's approval), explains Nehemiah's harsh action. The son, together with his wife, had to be removed from any sphere where he could exercise influence. He was thus expelled from Jerusalem, presumably taking shelter with Sanballat in Samaria. And thereby Jerusalem was cleansed and kept holy.
‘Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.'
This is the second time that Nehemiah has called on God to remember the evil things that others have done, contrary to the covenant. The first was in Nehemiah 6:14 where he called on God to remember what Sanballat, Tobiah, and the current Hebrew prophets, had done to try to entrap him into being afraid and as a consequence breaching the covenant. Here he calls on God to ‘remember' those who have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. The plural ‘them' can only mean the High Priest's family, for it was they who had caused the priesthood to be defiled.
The ‘covenant of the priesthood and the Levites' presumably refers to the covenant that they entered into, based on the Law, when they came of age to enter the priesthood and levitical service. For the priests it would include the provisions of Leviticus 21, but would especially have reference to them keeping themselves ritually clean. The Levites also were expected to keep themselves ritually clean, otherwise they would not be able to serve in the Temple. Nothing ritually unclean was to enter the Temple area.
This covenant is mentioned in Malachi 2:4. It was a covenant which offered the priests and Levites life and peace, because they feared YHWH and sought to do His will. In consequence the law of truth was in their mouth, and they walked rightly and sought to turn people from their iniquity. But now by corrupting the Law they had caused many to stumble, who no doubt followed the High Priest's example, and would themselves produce ‘profane seed'. Thus they had defiled the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
‘Thus I cleansed them from all foreigners, and appointed charges (ordinances, offices) for the priests and for the Levites, every one in his work; and for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.'
A comparison of these verses with the covenant promises in chapter 10 is interesting.
· I cleansed them from all foreigners, compare Nehemiah 10:30
· I appointed charges (ordinances, offices) for the priests and for the Levites everyone in his work, compare Nehemiah 10:32; Nehemiah 10:38.
· For the wood offering at the time appointed, compare Nehemiah 10:34.
· For the firstruits, compare Nehemiah 10:35.
The preciseness of order (apart from omission of the Sabbath observance laws) would not appear to be a coincidence and suggests that Nehemiah is pointing out to God that he has ensured the fulfilment of the sure agreement that Israel had made. He had already asked God to remember him for ensuring the observance of the Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:15, compare Nehemiah 10:31). For this he wanted ‘his God' to remember him, for good. It is noteworthy that he does not seek that God will remember him as the wallbuilder, but rather as the one who has ensured the fulfilment of God's covenant and the proper maintenance of Temple worship. And in view of his seeing Jerusalem as the holy city, and as the city which must be kept pure at all costs, he may well be asking to be remembered so that God would through him introduce the eschatological kingdom, which in essence was his prayer in Nehemiah 1:9.