Geshem
Exile
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H1654
Geshem the Arab, along with Sanballat and Tobiah, opposed Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and tried to intimidate and discourage him.
Geshem the Arab was one of three main opponents who tried to obstruct Nehemiah's rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, alongside Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite (Nehemiah 2:19; 6:1–2, 6). Archaeological evidence, including a silver bowl from the fifth century BC inscribed with a name related to Geshem, suggests he may have been a powerful chieftain of the Kedarite Arab confederation that controlled much of Arabia and southern Palestine under Persian oversight. His persistent efforts to intimidate Nehemiah and discredit the rebuilding project ultimately failed.