Sanballat of Samaria, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab

Figure Analysis

This dastardly trio tries to totally disrupt the rebuilding of the temple. But they're foiled in the end. They continually attempt to intimidate the Jews, ridiculing the wall, and threatening them with attack. But Nehemiah steps up his efforts to guard the reconstruction, making sure the workers are armed. This prevents the trio from attacking.

Sanballat uses a traitorous Hebrew named Shemaiah to try to get Nehemiah to run away and hide in the Temple. But Nehemiah calls the bluff. Additionally, the priest Eliashib's grandson leases a room to Tobiah in the temple. When Nehemiah discovers this, he chucks out Tobiah's furniture and expels the grandson for defiling the priesthood.