THE BOOK OF
NEHEMIAH

Nehemiah 12

1The priests, and the Levites, which came up with Zerubbabel. 10The succession of high priests. 22Certain chief Levites in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra. 27The solemnity of the dedication of the wall. 44The offices of the priests and Levites appointed in the temple.


1NOW these are the 1priests and the Levites that went up with 2Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and 3Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

1 Understand the most important ones and the rulers of the priests and Levites, as may be gathered from verses 7, 22, 23, 24.

2 See Ezra 2 on verse 2.

3 Who was the high priest.

2Amariah, 4Malluch, Hattush,

4 This man and some others are named differently from verse 14 to 21, after the manner of the Hebrews.

3Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah,

5Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

8Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, which was over the 5thanksgiving, 6he and his brethren.

5 That is, they were the chief song masters in the singing of psalms of praise and thanksgiving; as Neh. 11:17.

6 Namely, Mattaniah. See Neh. 11:17.

9Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over 7against them in the watches.

7 That is, were present with or about the singers, to wait upon their office or ministry. See Neh. 11 on verse 22. And concerning the courses of the singers, see the ordinance of David, 1 Chron. 25:9, etc. But at this time they were fewer in number. See Ezra 2 on verse 39.

10¶And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada,

11And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat 8Jaddua.

8 This Jaddua is perceived to have been the high priest Jaddus, of whom Josephus writes that Alexander the Great coming in a hostile manner against Jerusalem, he in his high priest’s attire went out of the city to meet him, and appeased him. Whence some conjecture that Nehemiah lived to the end of the Persian Empire, and in that regard was able to write this register of the succession of high priests till that time, there being as yet not full threescore years expired, from the time of Artaxerxes Mnemon (whose servant some hold Nehemiah to have been) unto the end of the Persian, and the beginning of the Grecian monarchy. Others perceive that Nehemiah (who, according to their opinion, lived under the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus) being dead, this register was here inserted by another man of God by inspiration of the Holy Ghost to preserve the succession of high priests in the Church of God.

12And in the days of 9Joiakim were priests, the 10chief of the fathers: 11of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

9 Who was high priest after his father Jeshua, verse 10.

10 That is, the most important one among the priests, as was shown on verse 1.

11 That is, of Seraiah was born or descended Meraiah, succeeding in his stead; wherefore others render this thus: for Seraiah, that is, in his stead or room, and so in the sequel.

13Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

14Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

15Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

16Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

17Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

18Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

19And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

21Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

22¶The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers: also the priests, to the reign of 12Darius the Persian.

12 The last king of Persia, called Codomannus, whom Alexander the Great conquered; with whom the Persian monarchy ended, in the year of the creation about 3642, before Christ’s incarnation 329, according to the computation of some chronologers.

23The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles,a even until the days of 13Johanan the 14son of Eliashib.

a 1 Chron. 9:10, etc.

13 In verse 11 called Jonathan, the father of Jaddua.

14 That is, son’s son.

24And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the 15man of God, 16ward over against ward.

15 See Judges 13 on verse 6.

16 That is, they executed their office by turns or courses, one for another, according to the ordinance of David. See 1 Chronicles 25. Also verse 8.

25Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the 17ward at the thresholds of the gates.

17 See verse 44; Neh. 13:5. Likewise 1 Chron. 26 on verse 17. Hebr. Asuppim.

26These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

27¶And at the 18dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their 19places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries,b and with harps.

18 Which was performed with prayers, thanksgivings, offerings and outward tokens of spiritual joy before the Lord, as follows. Compare Exodus 40; Numbers 7; Deut. 20 on verse 5; 1 Kings 8:63; Ezra 6:17, etc.; John 10:22.

19 Whither they, with others, were returned to the great assembly, whereof Nehemiah 9; 10.

b stringed instrument*

28And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the 20villages of 21Netophathi;

20 Or, farms. Also verse 29.

21 Or, of the Netophathites.

29Also from the 22house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of 23Geba and 24Azmaveth: for the singers had 25builded them villages round about Jerusalem.

22 Or, place. Hebr. Beth-Gilgal. Of Gilgal see Deut. 11:30; Joshua 5:9.

23 See Joshua 21:17.

24 In Neh. 7:28 is mentioned Beth-azmaveth.

25 Because all was exceedingly wasted and destroyed by the Babylonian wars, and because they may be near at hand to exercise their function and the worship of God. See Neh. 11 on verses 20 and 30.

30And the priests and the Levites 26purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

26 Compare Gen. 35 on verse 2; Exod. 19:10, 15; Numbers 19; 2 Chron. 29:5, 15, 16, etc.; Ezra 6:20, 21.

31Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof 27one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the 28dung gate:

27 From the other company of those who gave thanks, see verse 38.

28 Compare this description of the wall with Neh. 2:13, 14, 15 and Nehemiah 3, and see the annotations there.

32And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah,

33And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

34Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

35And certain of the priests' sons with trumpets; namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph:

36And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of 29David the 30man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

29 Which were invented or ordained and handed down by David.

30 That is, the prophet, as verse 24.

37And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.

38And the other company of them that gave thanks went 31over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even unto the broad wall;

31 At the other side of the city, in order that both companies might meet one another at last, and go together to the temple. See verse 40.

39And from above the gate of Ephraim, and 32above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they 33stood still in the prison gate.

32 Other, toward, and so in the sequel.

33 Hebr. stood in or by the gate of custody, that is, prison, as Jer. 32:2.

40So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:

41And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

42And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

43Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

44¶And at that time were some appointed over the 34chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields 35of the cities the portions 36of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah 37rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that 38waited.

34 Compare Neh. 13:5, 12, 13; 10:37, 38.

35 That is, which were situated round about the cities.

36 That is, which were ordained in the law for the priests, etc. Unto which proceeds they had bound themselves anew, Neh. 10:35, etc.

37 Hebr. there was joy or gladness of Judah; or, the joy of Judah was for the, etc.

38 That is, who performed diligently and faithfully their ministry, and therein intended to proceed, whereas they were formerly scattered up and down the country for want of maintenance, which now was willingly brought in with joy and rejoicing. Compare Neh. 13:10.

45And 39both the singers and the porters 40kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the 41purification, according to the commandmentc of David, and of Solomon his son.

39 Taking care that the worship of God might be well performed in all its circumstances thereto belonging. See Lev. 8 on verse 35.

40 As verse 30.

41 Understand those who kept their courses diligently. Other, and the singers and the porters watched, etc.

c 1 Chronicles 25.

46For in the days of David and 42Asaph of old there were 43chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.

42 Under whom Heman and Jeduthun are also comprehended, 1 Chron. 25:1, etc.

43 That is, chief singers, precentors and overseers of the most important ones, who took care that the ministry and all the courses of the singers were rightly observed, etc. See verse 42; Neh. 11:17; 1 Chron. 25:2, 3, 6.

47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the 44portions of the singers and the porters, 45every day his portion: and 46they 47sanctified holy things unto the Levites; and the Levites 48sanctified them unto the children of Aaron.

44 As verse 44.

45 Hebr. the word or the thing of a day on its day.

46 Namely, the people, or all Israel.

47 That is, they set apart, and gave the tithes unto the Levites, etc., which were consecrated for that purpose, and whereby all the rest that they kept, was hallowed for their own particular use. See Num. 18:21, 26.

48 That is, they set apart, and gave unto the high priests tithes from the tithes which they had received, according to the law of God, Num. 18:26, etc. See also there verse 8.