Old Testament Commentary - Nehemiah 12

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 12 Priests and Levites named who came up from Babylon—Walls of Jerusalem dedicated—Offices of priests and Levites appointed in the temple.
1 Now these are the ^apriests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnetho, ^aAbijah, 5 Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.		1^a Ezra 2:1 (1-2); 1 Ne. 10:3 4^a Luke 1:5
8 Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, which was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them in the watches.
10 ¶ And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada, 11 And Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat Jaddua.
12 And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 Of 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 Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.
24 And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give ^athanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward. 25 Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the ^athresholds of the gates. 26 These 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.		24^a D&C 59:21 25^a OR storehouses
27 ¶ And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi; 29 Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites ^apurified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.		30^a Num. 8:7(7-14); 3 Ne. 19:28(28-29); D&C 50:29(28-29); D&C 88:74-75
31 Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them^a that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the ^adung gate: 32 And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah, 33 And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34 Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35 And 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: 36 And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the ^amusical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.	31^a I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them All those who were include in this dedication ceremony may be looked to as those who played the various roles in the servicing, ordering, governing and ruling the people according to the Laws of Israel. And this included the princely rulers which I've learned to refer to as the 'Sarim'. And though at times at odds with the ways of the Lord and the Lord's prophet governor, Nehemiah, Nehemiah was sure to include them all in this great event to help promote a form of unity among the political forces in play in the governing the people of Israel. It was not a perfect government, but it was that which Israel (Judah) had had established and did look to to order their society. And between these groups was there a type of marriage of rule which included both church and state, as its basis was upon the Laws of God.	31^a Neh. 2:13 36^a 1 Chr. 23:5
37 And at the ^afountain 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. 38 And the other company of them that gave thanks went over 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; 39 And from above the gate of ^aEphraim, and above the old gate, and above the ^bfish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate. 40 So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me:^a	40^a the half of the rulers with me: Now these two great companies of the princes of the 'Jews' which Nehemiah brought up upon the walls were those 'rulers' of Israel established after that order first ordered by Moses of the elders who were to rule and judge the people according to the law. And Nehemiah made sure to include them is the ceremony and he himself did stand with them.	37^a Neh. 2:14 39^a Neh. 8:16 ^b Neh. 3:3
41 And the priests; Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer. 43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them ^arejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.		43^a Mosiah 2:20
44 ¶ And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the ^atithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited. 45 And both the singers and the porters kept the ^award of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God. 47 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: and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron.		44^a TG Tithing 45^a OR guard, watch