Man living at the time of Exile and Return
Mehetabel was an ancestor of Shemaiah, who opposed Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem's walls.
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Also known as Mehetabeel
Mehetabel is mentioned in the context of Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. Shemaiah, a man described as "the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel," was hired by Nehemiah's enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah, to intimidate Nehemiah and hinder the work on the wall. Shemaiah invited Nehemiah to meet with him in the temple and suggested that they close the doors, claiming that there was a plot to kill Nehemiah. However, Nehemiah perceived that Shemaiah was not sent by God and that his prophecy was intended to frighten Nehemiah and discredit him (Neh.6.10-13). Mehetabel's role in this narrative is limited to being mentioned as an ancestor of Shemaiah, providing context for Shemaiah's background and family lineage.
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1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H4105
Later, I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you!”
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.