24 and 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 David and the heads of the host separate for service, of the sons of Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun, who are prophesying with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen is according to their service. Of sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, `are' by the side of Asaph, who is prophesying by the side of the king. Of Jeduthun: sons of Jeduthun, Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, Shisshah, `are' by the side of their father Jeduthun; with a harp he is prophesying, for giving of thanks and of praise to Jehovah. Of Heman: sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth; all these `are' sons of Heman -- seer of the king in the things of God -- to lift up a horn; and God giveth to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these `are' by the side of their father in the song of the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God; by the side of the king `are' Asaph, and Jeduthun, and Heman. And their number, with their brethren -- taught in the song of Jehovah, all who are intelligent -- is two hundred, eighty and eight. And they cause to fall lots -- charge over-against `charge', as well the small as the great, the intelligent with the learner. And the first lot goeth out for Asaph to Joseph; `to' Gedaliah the second; he, and his brethren and his sons, twelve; the third `to' Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the fifth `to' Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the sixth `to' Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the seventh `to' Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the eighth `to' Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the ninth `to' Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the tenth `to' Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve: eleventh `to' Azareel, his sons and his brethren, twelve; the twelfth `to' Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the thirteenth `to' Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the fourteenth `to' Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the fifteenth `to' Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the sixteenth `to' Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the seventeenth `to' Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the eighteenth `to' Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve; at the nineteenth `to' Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve;
And this `is' the blessing `with' which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before his death,
And the woman saith unto Elijah, `Now, this I have known, that a man of God thou `art', and the word of Jehovah in thy mouth `is' truth.'
And David is old, and satisfied with days, and causeth his son Solomon to reign over Israel, and gathereth all the heads of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites; and the Levites are numbered from a son of thirty years and upward, and their number, by their polls, is of mighty men thirty and eight thousand. Of these to preside over the work of the house of Jehovah `are' twenty and four thousand, and officers and judges six thousand, and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand giving praise to Jehovah, `with instruments that I made for praising,' `saith David.' And David distributeth them into courses: Of the sons of Levi: of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Of the Gershonite: Laadan and Shimei. Sons of Laadan: the head `is' Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three. Sons of Shimei `are' Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three; these `are' heads of the fathers of Laadan. And sons of Shimei `are' Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah; these `are' sons of Shimei, four. And Jahath is the head, and Zizah the second, and Jeush and Beriah have not multiplied sons, and they become the house of a father by one numbering. Sons of Kohath `are' Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. Sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron is separated for his sanctifying the holy of holies, he and his sons -- unto the age, to make perfume before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to bless in His name -- unto the age. As to Moses, the man of God, his sons are called after the tribe of Levi. Sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. Sons of Gershom: Shebuel the head. And sons of Eliezer are Rehabiah the head, and Eliezer had no other sons, and the sons of Rehabiah have multiplied exceedingly. Sons of Izhar: Shelomith the head. Sons of Hebron: Jeriah the head, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. Sons of Uzziel: Micah the head, and Ishshiah, the second. Sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi; sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. And Eleazar dieth, and he had no sons, but daughters, and sons of Kish their brethren take them. Sons of Mushi: Mahli, and Eder, and Jerimoth, three. These `are' sons of Levi, by the house of their fathers, heads of the fathers, by their appointments, in the number of names, by their polls, doing the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from a son of twenty years and upward, for David said, `Jehovah, God of Israel, hath given rest to His people, and He doth tabernacle in Jerusalem unto the age;' and also of the Levites, `None `are' to bear the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service;' for by the last words of David they `took' the number of the sons of Levi from a son of twenty years and upward, for their station `is' at the side of the sons of Aaron, for the service of the house of Jehovah, over the courts, and over the chambers, and over the cleansing of every holy thing, and the work of the service of the house of God, and for the bread of the arrangement, and for fine flour for present, and for the thin unleavened cakes, and for `the work of' the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all `liquid' measure and `solid' measure; and to stand, morning by morning, to give thanks, and to give praise to Jehovah, and so at evening; and for all the burnt-offerings -- burnt-offerings to Jehovah for sabbaths, for new moons, and for appointed seasons, by number, according to the ordinance upon them continually, before Jehovah. And they have kept the charge of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brethren, for the service of the house of Jehovah.
And he establisheth, according to the ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests over their service, and of the Levites over their charges, to praise and to minister over-against the priests, according to the matter of a day in its day, and the gatekeepers in their courses at gate and gate, for so `is' the command of David the man of God.
The Levites; sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, seventy and four.
And those building have founded the temple of Jehovah, and they appoint the priests, clothed, with trumpets, and the Levites, sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, by means of `the instruments of' David king of Israel. And they respond in praising and in giving thanks to Jehovah, for good, for to the age His kindness `is' over Israel, and all the people have shouted -- a great shout -- in giving praise to Jehovah, because the house of Jehovah hath been founded.
And there stand up on the ascent, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, Chenani, and they cry with a loud voice unto Jehovah their God.
And the Levites: both Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel; and their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.
And the Levites `are' Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, he `is' over the thanksgiving, and his brethren, and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, `are' over-against them in charges.
and thou, O man of God, these things flee, and pursue righteousness, piety, faith, love, endurance, meekness;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Nehemiah 12
Commentary on Nehemiah 12 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 12
Ne 12:1-9. Priests and Levites Who Came Up with Zerubbabel.
1. these are the priests—according to Ne 12:7, "the chief of the priests," the heads of the twenty-four courses into which the priesthood was divided (1Ch 24:1-20). Only four of the courses returned from the captivity (Ne 7:39-42; Ezr 2:36-39). But these were divided by Zerubbabel, or Jeshua, into the original number of twenty-four. Twenty-two only are enumerated here, and no more than twenty in Ne 12:12-21. The discrepancy is due to the extremely probable circumstance that two of the twenty-four courses had become extinct in Babylon; for none belonging to them are reported as having returned (Ne 12:2-5). Hattush and Maadiah may be omitted in the account of those persons' families (Ne 12:12), for these had no sons.
Shealtiel—or Salathiel.
Ezra—This was most likely a different person from the pious and patriotic leader. If he were the same person, he would now have reached a very patriarchal age—and this longevity would doubtless be due to his eminent piety and temperance, which are greatly conducive to the prolongation of life, but, above all, to the special blessing of God, who had preserved and strengthened him for the accomplishment of the important work he was called upon to undertake in that critical period of the Church's history.
4. Abijah—one of the ancestors of John the Baptist (Lu 1:5).
9. their brethren, were over against them in the watches—that is, according to some, their stations—the places where they stood when officiating—"ward over against ward" (Ne 12:24); or, according to others, in alternate watches, in course of rotation.
Ne 12:10-47. Succession of the High Priests.
10. Jeshua begat Joiakim, &c.—This enumeration was of great importance, not only as establishing their individual purity of descent, but because the chronology of the Jews was henceforth to be reckoned, not as formerly by the reigns of their kings, but by the successions of their high priests.
11. Jaddua—It is an opinion entertained by many commentators that this person was the high priest whose dignified appearance, solemn manner, and splendid costume overawed and interested so strongly the proud mind of Alexander the Great; and if he were not this person (as some object that this Jaddua was not in office till a considerable period after the death of Nehemiah), it might probably be his father, called by the same name.
12. in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers—As there had been priests in the days of Jeshua, so in the time of Joiakim, the son and successor of Jeshua, the sons of those persons filled the priestly office in the place of their fathers, some of whom were still alive, though many were dead.
23. The sons of Levi … were written in the book of the chronicles—that is, the public registers in which the genealogies were kept with great regularity and exactness.
27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem—This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manifestation of His presence, and anew set apart to His service. It was on these accounts that Jerusalem was called "the holy city," and by this public and solemn act of religious observance, after a long period of neglect and desecration, it was, as it were, restored to its rightful proprietor. The dedication consisted in a solemn ceremonial, in which the leading authorities, accompanied by the Levitical singers, summoned from all parts of the country, and by a vast concourse of people, marched in imposing procession round the city walls, and, pausing at intervals to engage in united praises, prayer, and sacrifices, supplicated the continued presence, favor, and blessing on "the holy city." "The assembly convened near Jaffa Gate, where the procession commences. Then (Ne 12:31) I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall (near the Valley Gate), and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall towards the dung gate (through Bethzo). And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah. And (Ne 12:37) at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they (descending by the Tower of Siloam on the interior, and then reascending) 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 (by the staircase of the rampart, having descended to dedicate the fountain structures). And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them (both parties having started from the junction of the first and second walls), 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 (beyond the corner gate). And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate (and the gate of Benjamin), and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate; and they stood still in the prison gate (or high gate, at the east end of the bridge). So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and half of the rulers with me (having thus performed the circuit of the investing walls), and arrived in the courts of the temple" [Barclay, City of the Great King].
43. the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off—The events of the day, viewed in connection with the now repaired and beautified state of the city, raised the popular feeling to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and the fame of their rejoicings was spread far and near.
44. portions of the law—that is, "prescribed by the law."
for Judah rejoiced for the priests and … Levites that waited—The cause of this general satisfaction was either the full restoration of the temple service and the reorganized provision for the permanent support of the ministry, or it was the pious character and eminent gifts of the guardians of religion.
45. the singers and the porters kept … the ward of the purification—that is, took care that no unclean person was allowed to enter within the precincts of the sacred building. This was the official duty of the porters (2Ch 23:19), with whom, owing to the pressure of circumstances, it was deemed expedient that the singers should be associated as assistants.
47. all Israel … sanctified holy things unto the Levites,—&c. The people, selecting the tithes and first-fruits, devoted them to the use of the Levites, to whom they belonged by appointment of the law. The Levites acted in the same way with the tithes due from them to the priests. Thus all classes of the people displayed a conscientious fidelity in paying the dues to the temple and the servants of God who were appointed to minister in it.