A geographical designation identifying Sanballat as 'the Horonite,' meaning a person from Beth-horon or a related location. Sanballat the Horonite was a key opponent of Nehemiah's rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem, consistently working to undermine the restoration project. The designation appears exclusively in Nehemiah, always with the article, distinguishing Sanballat by his place of origin. Beth-horon consisted of upper and lower towns in Ephraim, making Sanballat likely a Samarian or northern opponent of Judean restoration. The epithet became his identifying marker throughout Nehemiah's memoirs.