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Nehemiah
Chapter Twelve
New King James Version
(NKJV)
Nehemiah 12:1.
Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
YLT 1And these [are] the priests
and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua;
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
Now these are
the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,
and Jeshua,....
Who went up from the
captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem with them; the one was the prince, the other
the high priest, the same with Joshua the high priest, Zechariah 3:1, the
names of the priests are given in this and the six following verses:
Seraiah,
Jeremiah, Ezra;
not Jeremiah the prophet,
who cannot be thought to live so long as through the captivity; but Ezra may be
Ezra the priest and scribe, who might come up with Zerubbabel to Jerusalem, and
return to Babylon again, and from thence come again as he did, in the seventh
year of Artaxerxes, Ezra 7:1, though
this by someF13Vid. Rainold de Lib. Apocryph. praelect. 153. p. 402,
&c. is not thought very probable.
Nehemiah 12:2.
Amariah,
Malluch, Hattush,
YLT 2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
Amariah,
Malluch, Hattush,....
Whose names are among the
sealers of the covenant, Nehemiah 10:3.
Malluch is afterwards called Melicu, Nehemiah 12:14,
Nehemiah 12:3.
Shechaniah,
Rehum, Meremoth,
YLT 3Shechaniah, Rehum,
Meremoth,
Shechaniah,
called Shebaniah, Nehemiah 12:14 and
so in Nehemiah 10:4
Rehum,
who, by transposition of
letters, is Harim, Nehemiah 12:15, and
so in Nehemiah 10:5.
Meremoth,
called Meraioth, Nehemiah 12:15,
Nehemiah 12:4.
Iddo,
Ginnethoi,[a] Abijah,
YLT 4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Iddo, Ginnetho,
read Ginnethon, Nehemiah 12:16 so
in Nehemiah 10:6.
Abijah;
there was a course of a
priest of this name, of which Zechariah the father of John the Baptist was, Luke 1:5.
Nehemiah 12:5.
Mijamin,
Maadiah, Bilgah,
YLT 5Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
Miamin,
Maadiah, Bilgah;
the first two are called
Miniamin and Moadiah, Nehemiah 12:17.
Nehemiah 12:6.
Shemaiah,
Joiarib, Jedaiah,
YLT 6Shemaiah, and Joiarib,
Jedaiah,
Shemaiah,
Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu;
called Sallai, Nehemiah 12:20.
Nehemiah 12:7.
Sallu,
Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests
and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.
YLT 7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah,
Jedaiah; these [are] heads of the priests and of their brethren in the days of
Jeshua.
Amok, Hilkiah,
Jedaiah these were the chief of the priests, and of their brethren, in the days
of Jeshua;
heads of courses; or,
however, priests of the greatest note in the times of Jeshua the high priest.
Nehemiah 12:8.
Moreover
the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and
Mattaniah who led the thanksgiving psalms, he and his brethren.
YLT 8And the Levites [are]
Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, he [is] over the
thanksgiving, and his brethren,
Moreover the
Levites,....
Who lived in the same
times: were
Jeshua, Binnui,
Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah;
most of these are made
mention of in Nehemiah 8:7, the
last of them is said to be
over the
thanksgiving, he and his brethren;
he was the precentor, or
had the directing and conducting of the songs of the temple, particularly the
thanksgiving song at the daily sacrifices; Jarchi takes the word here used to
be the name of a musical instrument.
Nehemiah 12:9.
Also
Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood across from them in their
duties.
YLT 9and Bakbukiah and Unni,
their brethren, [are] over-against them in charges.
Also Bakbukiah
and Unni,....
Two other Levites; the
first is mentioned in Nehemiah 11:17,
their brethren,
were over against them in the watches;
the Levites were divided
into twenty four wards, and these were placed one against another, 1 Chronicles 23:6.
Nehemiah 12:10.
Jeshua
begot Joiakim, Joiakim begot Eliashib, Eliashib begot Joiada,
YLT 10And Jeshua hath begotten
Joiakim, and Joiakim hath begotten Eliashib, and Eliashib hath begotten Joiada,
Verse
10-11
And Jeshua
begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, and
Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
This is an account of the
high priests in succession in the second temple, the first six of them; and if
Jaddua, the last mentioned, is the same with Jaddus, as JosephusF14Antiqu.
l. 11. c. 8. sect. 5. supposes, who went forth in his pontifical robes to meet
Alexander the great returning from his conquests of Tyre and Gaza, from whom he
obtained many favours, and whom he had into the temple, and showed him the
prophecy of Daniel concerning himself; this paragraph must be written by
another hand, and not Nehemiah, since it can hardly be thought he should live
so long; and as to his times, this account of him, or the history of his own
times, seems not to have gone through the priesthood of Eliashib, the third of
those high priests, see Nehemiah 13:28, and
to reach no further than to the thirty second of Darius Hystaspis, Nehemiah 13:6 this
fragment therefore might be inserted by some godly man under a divine direction
in later times, as we have several insertions in the books of Moses and Joshua
of the like kind; and particularly in 1 Chronicles 3:19
where the genealogy of Zerubbabel is carried down beyond the times of the
Maccabees, and so could not be placed there by Ezra.
Nehemiah 12:11.
Joiada
begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
YLT 11and Joiada hath begotten
Jonathan, and Jonathan hath begotten Jaddua.
Nehemiah 12:12.
Now
in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of the fathers’ houses were:
of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
YLT 12And in the days of Joiakim
have been priests, heads of the fathers; of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah,
Hananiah;
Verses
12-21
And in the days
of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers,....
This was the son and
successor of Jeshua, or Joshua, the first high priest of the second temple; the
principal men of the priesthood in his time were as follow, and who were the
sons, or however the descendants of the priests in the time of his father
before mentioned: these were Meraiah, Hananiah, Meshullam, Jehohanan, Jonathan,
Joseph, Adna, Helkai, Zechariah, (the prophet of that name,) Meshullam, Zichri,
Piltai, Shammua, Jehonathan, Mattenai, Uzzi, Kallai, Eber, Hashabiah,
Nethaneel; in all twenty, whereas there are twenty two named, as in his
father's days, there being no sons or descendants from two of them, namely, Hattush
and Miamin.
Nehemiah 12:13.
of
Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
YLT 13of Ezra, Meshullam; of
Amariah, Jehohanan;
Nehemiah 12:14.
of
Melichu,[b] Jonathan;
of Shebaniah,[c] Joseph;
YLT 14of Melicu, Jonathan; of
Shebaniah, Joseph;
Nehemiah 12:15.
of
Harim,[d] Adna; of
Meraioth,[e] Helkai;
YLT 15of Harim, Adna; of
Meraioth, Helkai;
Nehemiah 12:16.
of
Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
YLT 16of Iddo, Zechariah; of
Ginnethon, Meshullam;
Nehemiah 12:17.
of
Abijah, Zichri; the son of Minjamin;[f] of
Moadiah,[g] Piltai;
YLT 17of Abijah, Zichri; of
Miniamin; of Moadiah, Piltai;
Nehemiah 12:18.
of
Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
YLT 18of Bilgah, Shammua; of
Shemaiah, Jehonathan;
Nehemiah 12:19.
of
Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
YLT 19and of Joiarib, Mattenai;
of Jedaiah, Uzzi;
Nehemiah 12:20.
of
Sallai,[h] Kallai; of
Amok, Eber;
YLT 20of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok,
Eber;
Nehemiah 12:21.
of
Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
YLT 21of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of
Jedaiah, Nethaneel.
Nehemiah 12:22.
During
the reign of Darius the Persian, a record was also kept of the Levites
and priests who had been heads of their fathers’ houses in the days
of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua.
YLT 22The Levites, in the days of
Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, are written, heads of fathers, and
of the priests, in the kingdom of Darius the Persian.
The Levites, in the days
of Eliashib,.... The third priest of the second temple:
Joiada;
he was the son of
Eliashib, and the fourth high priest:
and Johanan;
the same with Jonathan, Nehemiah 12:11 and
whom JosephusF15Antiqu. l. 11. c. 7. sect. 1. also calls Joannes:
and Jaddua;
the same as in Nehemiah 12:10 in
the days of each of these were
recorded chief
of the fathers;
the principal men among
the Levites:
also the
priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian;
thought to be Darius
Codomannus, the last king of the Persian monarchy, whom Alexander conquered;
and if so, this verse must be inserted after the death of Nehemiah, and as the
next verse also seems to be; for these two verses interrupt the natural order
of the relation: an account is given of the priests in the times of Joiakim, Nehemiah 12:12,
these verses being inserted, the account goes on, Nehemiah 12:24,
&c. of the chief of the Levites in the times of Joiakim only.
Nehemiah 12:23.
The
sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers’ houses until the days of Johanan
the son of Eliashib, were written in the book of the chronicles.
YLT 23Sons of Levi, heads of the
fathers, are written on the book of the Chronicles even till the days of
Johanan son of Eliashib;
The sons of
Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles,....
Some think this refers to 1 Chronicles 9:14,
&c.
until the days
of Johanan the son of Eliashib;
from whence Dr. LightfootF16Works,
vol. 1. p. 146. concludes, that the Chronicles were written by Ezra in the
times of this Johanan.
Nehemiah 12:24.
And
the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son
of Kadmiel, with their brothers across from them, to praise and give
thanks, group alternating with group, according to the command of David the man
of God.
YLT 24and heads of the Levites:
Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brethren, [are]
over-against them, to give praise, to give thanks, by command of David the man
of God, charge over-against charge.
And the chief
of the Levites,....
Here the thread of the
history of Nehemiah, interrupted by the insertion of the two preceding verses,
is carried from the priests to the Levites in the times of the third high
priest:
Hashabiah,
Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel;
these were singers, since
it follows:
with their
brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the
commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward;
which office of theirs
they performed by turns in courses, as David under a divine direction ordered,
see 1 Chronicles 23:5.
Nehemiah 12:25.
Mattaniah,
Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers
keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates.
YLT 25Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah,
Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, [are] gatekeepers, keeping charge in the
gatherings of the gates.
Mattaniah, and
Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters,....
At the gates of the
temple, see 1 Chronicles 9:15,
keeping the
ward, at the thresholds of the gates;
of the temple, where they
stood and watched; or "at the collection of the gates", meaning
either where the people were gathered together, or where money gathered was
laid up; and so some render it, "the treasuries of the gates": unless
a place called Asuppim should be meant, 1 Chronicles 26:15.
Nehemiah 12:26.
These
lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,[i] and in the
days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.
YLT 26These [are] in the days of
Joiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the
governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.
These were in
the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak,....
Who was high priest in
Babylon, and whose grandson was now high priest in the time referred to:
and in the days
of Nehemiah the governor;
the writer of this book:
and of Ezra the
priest, the scribe;
who was contemporary with
him.
Nehemiah 12:27.
Now
at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all
their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with
gladness, both with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed
instruments and harps.
YLT 27And at the dedication of
the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring
them in to Jerusalem, to make the dedication even with gladness, and with
thanksgivings, and with singing, [with] cymbals, psalteries, and with harps;
And at the
dedication of the wall of Jerusalem,....
In which many priests and
Levites assisted, and seems to be the reason of the above account of them; the
dedication of the wall takes in the whole city, gates, and houses, Nehemiah 12:30, and
if a new house was to be dedicated, much more a new city, and especially the
holy city, in which stood the temple of the Lord, see Deuteronomy 20:5,
this dedication was made by prayer and songs of praise, as follow, and no doubt
by sacrifices, and was kept as a festival; and indeed, according to the Jewish
writersF17Megillath Thainith, c. 3. apud Selden. de Synedr. l. 3. c.
13. sect. 12. , it was annually observed on the seventh of Elul, or August; it
was on the twenty fifth of that month that the wall was finished, Nehemiah 6:15, but
the gates were not set up, and all things for the dedication were not ready
till Elul, or August, following; and then all being finished, they made and
served the seventh of that month as a festival:
they sought the
Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the
dedication with gladness;
to assist in the solemnity
of the day both with vocal and instrumental music, as follows:
both with thanksgiving
and with singing;
with songs of praise and
thankfulness vocally, that they had been able, notwithstanding all the malice
of their enemies, to build the wall in so short a time; or with a song, perhaps
the thirtieth psalm was sung on this occasion:
with cymbals,
psalteries, and with harps;
some playing on one, and
some on another, which were the three principal instruments of music used by
them, see 1 Chronicles 15:16.
Nehemiah 12:28.
And
the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around
Jerusalem, from the villages of the Netophathites,
YLT 28and sons of the singers are
gathered together even from the circuit round about Jerusalem, and from the
villages of Netophathi,
And the sons of
the singers gathered themselves together,....
Such of the Levites that
were singers, and their sons that were trained up as such:
both out of the
plain country round about Jerusalem
the plain of Jordan by
Jericho, and the plain of Saron and Lydda:
and from the
villages of Netophathi:
see 1 Chronicles 9:16,
here they dwelt, when not in their courses, to minister in the temple; but on
this public occasion were summoned together.
Nehemiah 12:29.
from
the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers
had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem.
YLT 29and from the house of
Gilgal, and from fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for villages have the singers
built for themselves round about Jerusalem;
Also from the
house of Gilgal,....
Which likewise was in a
champaign country in the plains of Jericho, Deuteronomy 11:30,
and out of the
fields of Geba;
which was a Levitical city
in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 21:17
and Azmaveth;
the same with
Bethazmaveth, Nehemiah 7:28 where
it follows Anathoth and Netophah, as it does in Ezra 2:24, and was
very probably in the tribe of Benjamin:
for the singers
had builded them villages round about Jerusalem;
that they might be near
it, to do their duty when required; by which it appears that the said places
were near Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 12:30.
Then
the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the
gates, and the wall.
YLT 30and the priests and the
Levites are cleansed, and they cleanse the people, and the gates, and the wall.
And the priests
and the Levites purified themselves,....
By washing their bodies
and their clothes, perhaps by sprinkling the water of purification on them, see
Numbers 8:6.
Nehemiah 12:31.
So
I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large
thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the
Refuse Gate.
YLT 31And I bring up the heads of
Judah upon the wall, and appoint two great thanksgiving companies and
processions. At the right, on the wall, to the dung-gate;
Then I brought
up the princes of Judah upon the wall,....
Which was so broad as to
walk upon it, and there was a procession of the princes on it at its
dedication, and here is described the manner of it; the princes of Benjamin
must be included here:
and appointed
two great companies of them that gave thanks;
he divided the people who
were met together to praise God on this occasion into two companies: whereof
one went on the
right hand upon the wall;
that is, on the southern
part of it:
towards the
dung gate;
of which see Nehemiah 2:13 some
Jewish writers, as Jarchi and Ben Melech, give a different sense of שתי תודות, which we render
"two companies", and take them to be two eucharistical loaves of
leavened bread, with which a rite or ceremony was performed at the enlargement
of a court or city; at the utmost boundary of which those were carried, and one
was eaten and the other burntF18Miss. Shebuot, c. 2. sect. 2. &
Maimon, & Bartenora in ib. ; which rite is thus described by MaimonidesF19Hilchot,
Beth-habechirah, c. 6. sect. 12. Vid. Selden. de Synedr. l. 3. c. 13. sect. 6.
,"how do they add to a city? the sanhedrim make two eucharistical
sacrifices, and they take the leavened bread in them, and the sanhedrim go
after the two eucharistical sacrifices, which follow one another, and they
stand with harps, and psalteries, and cymbals, at every corner and at every
stone in Jerusalem, and say, I will extol thee, for thou hast lifted up,
&c. (#Ps 30:1) until they come
to the end of the place they consecrate, there they stand and eat the thanksgiving
loaf, one of the two, and the other is burnt.'
Nehemiah 12:32.
After
them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,
YLT 32and after them goeth
Hoshaiah, and half of the heads of Judah,
And after them
went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah.
The other half of them,
with Hoshaiah at the head of them.
Nehemiah 12:33.
and
Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
YLT 33and Azariah, Ezra, and
Meshullam,
And Azariah,
Ezra, and Meshullam.
Not Ezra the priest and
the scribe, for he has another place assigned him in this procession, Nehemiah 12:36, but
this seems to be one of the princes.
Nehemiah 12:34.
Judah,
Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
YLT 34Judah, and Benjamin, and
Shemaiah, and Jeremiah;
Judah and
Benjamin,....
Not the tribes, but the
names of the two princes, as Jarchi:
and Shemaiah
and Jeremiah;
who were two others.
Nehemiah 12:35.
and
some of the priests’ sons with trumpets—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,
YLT 35and of the sons of the
priests with trumpets, Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of
Mattaniah, son of Michaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph,
And certain of
the priests' sons with trumpets,....
To blow with on this
occasion; for these the priests sounded: 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;
not the Levite, but a
priest of this name.
Nehemiah 12:36.
and
his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and
Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe went
before them.
YLT 36and his brethren Shemaiah,
and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with
instruments of song of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe [is] before
them;
And his
brethren,....
The brethren of Zechariah,
the priest's son, and such are those that follow:
Shemaiah, and
Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical
instruments of David the man of God;
which were invented by
him, and ordered by him to be used in religious service, under the divine
direction:
and Ezra the
scribe before them;
for he being a priest
also, and a man of great eminence, was placed at the head of them in this
procession.
Nehemiah 12:37.
By
the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the stairs of the City of
David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as the
Water Gate eastward.
YLT 37and by the gate of the
fountain and over-against them, they have gone up by the steps of the city of
David, at the going up of the wall beyond the house of David, and unto the
water-gate eastward.
And at the
fountain gate, which was over against them,....
Of which see Nehemiah 2:14 and
which was to the south of the dung gate:
they went up;
that is, one of the two
companies, that which took to the right on the wall, Nehemiah 12:31 with
which these words are to be connected:
by the stairs
of the city of David;
which went up to the city
of Zion, built on an eminence:
at the going up
of the wall, above the house of David;
where the wall was higher,
and there was an ascent to it:
even unto the
water gate eastward;
of which see Nehemiah 3:26
turning from the south to the east, and so drew nigh the temple.
Nehemiah 12:38.
The
other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind
them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as
far as the Broad Wall,
YLT 38And the second thanksgiving
company that is going over-against, and I after it, and half of the people on
the wall from beyond the tower of the furnaces and unto the broad wall,
And the other
company of them that gave thanks went over against them,....
On the left hand, on the
northern part of the wall:
and I after
them;
Nehemiah, he brought up
the rear of his company, as Ezra led the van of his:
and the half of
the people upon the wall;
the chief of them, for all
could not walk upon it:
from beyond the
tower of the furnaces;
where they baked their
bread, or their bricks, see Nehemiah 3:11,
even unto the
broad wall;
where the wall was broader
than common, for some reason or another, see Nehemiah 3:8.
Nehemiah 12:39.
and
above the Gate of Ephraim, above the Old Gate, above the Fish Gate, the Tower
of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they
stopped by the Gate of the Prison.
YLT 39and from beyond the gate of
Ephraim, and by the old-gate, and by the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananeel,
and the tower of Meah, and unto the sheep-gate -- and they have stood at the
prison-gate.
And from above
the gate of Ephraim,....
The gate which led to the
tribe of Ephraim, where that tribe formerly dwelt, see Nehemiah 8:16
and above the
old gate;
of which mention is made, Nehemiah 3:6
and above the
fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the
sheep gate;
of all which see Nehemiah 3:1, and
they stood still in the prison gate; which was not a gate of the city, but of
the court of the prison, Nehemiah 3:25,
which was near both the king's palace and the temple, see Jeremiah 20:1.
Nehemiah 12:40.
So
the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half
of the rulers with me;
YLT 40And the two thanksgiving
companies stand in the house of God, and I and half of the prefects with me,
So stood the
two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God,....
Having made their
procession on the wall in different ways, they met in the temple, that is, in
the great court of it, for no other would hold them:
and I, and the
half of the rulers with me;
Nehemiah, and the other
half with Hoshaiah, Nehemiah 12:32.
Nehemiah 12:41.
and
the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin,[j] Michaiah,
Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;
YLT 41and the priests, Eliakim,
Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets,
And the priests,....
They stood there also,
whose names follow:
Eliakim,
Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;
to sound on this occasion.
Nehemiah 12:42.
also
Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The
singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.
YLT 42and Masseiah, and Shemaiah,
and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer, and
the singers sound, and Jezrahiah the inspector;
And Maaseiah,
and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam,
and Ezer,....
These seem to be all
priests that blew the trumpets:
and the singers
sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer;
these were the Levites,
that sung the songs of praise vocally, and raised their voices very high,
Jezrahiah being precentor, who led the tune, as well as played on instruments.
Nehemiah 12:43.
Also
that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them
rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the
joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.
YLT 43and they sacrifice on that
day great sacrifices and rejoice, for God hath made them rejoice [with] great
joy, and also, the women and the children have rejoiced, and the joy of
Jerusalem is heard -- unto a distance.
Also that day
they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced,....
Or many sacrifices, as Ben
Melech interprets it; and these perhaps of the larger sort of cattle, oxen; and
which, at least many of them, being peace offerings, the people feasted on
them, so that it was a festival day:
for God had
made them rejoice with great joy;
on account of the wall
being set up all around, and so were in greater safety from their enemies:
the wives also
and the children rejoiced;
while the priests blew the
trumpets, and the singers sung and played on their instruments, the women and
children gave loud shouts for joy:
so that the joy
of Jerusalem was heard even afar off;
as at the laying of the
foundation of the temple, Ezra 3:13.
Nehemiah 12:44.
And
at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the
offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields
of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites;
for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered.
YLT 44And certain are appointed
on that day over the chambers for treasures, for heave-offerings, for
first-fruits, and for tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the
cities the portions of the law for priests, and for Levites, for the joy of
Judah [is] over the priests, and over the Levites, who are standing up.
And at that
time were some appointed over the chamber for the treasuries,....
On the selfsame day the
dedication was; while the people were in a good disposition, and a suitable
frame for such service, certain persons from among the priests were appointed
to be overseers of the chambers fixed upon for treasuries, to lay up safe in
them the following things, and take care of them, that they were put to the use
for which they were designed:
for the
offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of
the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites;
what by the law of God
were assigned them for their maintenance, and which the people had lately bound
themselves to bring in, Nehemiah 10:35,
for Judah
rejoiced for the priests, and for the Levites that waited;
at the temple, and
performed their services there; they were so pleased with their ministrations
that day, that they were determined to take care of them, and provide well for
them, and that nothing should be wanting to them, enjoined by the law of God,
and that they might not be obliged to dwell in fields and villages for the sake
of their living, Nehemiah 12:28.
Nehemiah 12:45.
Both
the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of
the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son.
YLT 45And the singers and the
gatekeepers keep the charge of their God, even the charge of the cleansing --
according to the command of David [and] Solomon his son,
And both the
singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of their
purification,....
The singers kept their
turns in course in the temple, and were not wanting to officiate on all
occasions, besides morning and evening services; and the porters they
diligently kept the gates of the temple, that no impure person or thing in a
ceremonial sense entered:
according to
the commandment of David, and Solomon his son;
who made very good rules
and orders relative to the better and more regular performance of service by
them; see 1 Chronicles 25:1.
Nehemiah 12:46.
For
in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers,
and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
YLT 46for in the days of David
and Asaph of old [were] heads of the singers, and a song of praise and
thanksgiving to God.
For in the days
of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers,....
Persons appointed over the
rest to instruct them, and see that they did their work aright, as besides
Asaph, Haman, and Jeduthun, and their sons, 1 Chronicles 25:2
and songs of
praise and thanksgiving unto God;
such were made by them,
some under divine inspiration, which bear the names of David and Asaph, as may
be observed in the book of Psalms.
Nehemiah 12:47.
In
the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions
for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also
consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them
for the children of Aaron.
YLT 47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in
the days of Nehemiah, are giving the portions of the singers, and of the
gatekeepers, the matter of a day in its day, and are sanctifying to the
Levites, and the Levites are sanctifying to the sons of Aaron.
And all Israel
in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of
the singers and the porters every day his portion,....
While these two men
governed they did their duty, and punctually paid the Levites their dues at the
proper season:
and they
sanctified holy things unto the Levites;
set them apart for their
use, and brought them to them, their offerings, firstfruits, and tithes: and
the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron; the Levites set apart
the tenth part of the tithes, and delivered them to the priests, and so each
had what belonged to them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Nehemiah 12:4
Or Ginnethon (compare verse 16)
b.
Nehemiah 12:14
Or Malluch (compare verse 2)
c.Nehemiah 12:14
Or Shechaniah (compare verse 3)
d.
Nehemiah 12:15
Or Rehum (compare verse 3)
e.
Nehemiah 12:15
Or Meremoth (compare verse 3)
f.
Nehemiah 12:17
Or Mijamin (compare verse 5)
g.
Nehemiah 12:17
Or Maadiah (compare verse 5)
h.
Nehemiah 12:20
Or Sallu (compare verse 7)
i.
Nehemiah 12:26
Spelled Jehozadak in 1 Chronicles 6:14
j.
Nehemiah 12:41
Or Mijamin (compare verse 5)