Illustration created for this project.
Geshem
An Arab chief who, with Sanballat and Tobiah, opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Life, role & deeds
BibleAn Arab chieftain who, with Sanballat and Tobiah, mocked and schemed against Nehemiah's work.
Nehemiah 2:19; 6:1–2
ArchaeologyA silver bowl from Tell el-Maskhuta in Egypt is inscribed to 'Qainu son of Geshem (Gashmu), king of Kedar' — placing this Arab dynasty exactly in Nehemiah's day.
Aramaic silver bowl of Qainu bar Gashmu, 'king of Qedar', from a shrine at Tell el-Maskhuta, Egypt (Brooklyn Museum); I. Rabinowitz, 'Aramaic Inscriptions of the Fifth Century B.C.E. from a North-Arab Shrine in Egypt', Journal of Near Eastern Studies 15 (1956), 1-9