Nehemiah 12:1-30

Priests and Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel

1 Now these are ¹the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah,

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

8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.

9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them ²in their service divisions.

10 Jeshua became the father of Joiakim, and Joiakim became the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib became the father of Joiada,

11 and Joiada became the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.

12 Now in the days of Joiakim, the priests, the heads of fathers' households were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

14 of Malluchi, 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 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

The Chief Levites

22 As for the Levites, the heads of fathers' households were registered in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan and Jaddua; so were the priests in the reign of Darius the Persian.

23 The sons of Levi, the heads of fathers' households, were registered in the Book of the Chronicles * up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

24 The heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brothers opposite them, ³to praise and give thanks, as prescribed by David the man of God, ⁴division corresponding to division.

25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping watch at ⁵the storehouses of the gates.

26 These served in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of ⁶Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.

Dedication of the Wall

27 Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs ⁷to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres.

28 So the sons of the singers were assembled from the district around Jerusalem, and from ⁸the villages of the Netophathites,

29 from Beth-gilgal and from their fields in Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves villages around Jerusalem.

30 The priests and the Levites ⁹purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates and the wall.

Nehemiah 12:1-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH 12

This chapter gives an account of the chief of the priests and Levites in the days of Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Joiakim, Eliashib, and Nehemiah, Ne 12:1-26, of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, and of the joy expressed on that occasion, Ne 12:27-43, and of the appointment of some persons over the treasuries for the priests, Levites, singers, and porters, Ne 12:44-47.

Cross References

• 1. Ezra 2:1; Ezra 7:7
• 2. Nehemiah 12:24
• 3. Nehemiah 11:17
• 4. Nehemiah 12:9
• 5. 1 Chronicles 26:15
• 6. Nehemiah 8:9
• 7. 1 Chronicles 15:16, 28
• 8. 1 Chronicles 9:16
• 9. Nehemiah 13:22, 30

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "brothers"
• [b]. Lit "over"
• [c]. Lit "begot," and so in vv 11, 12
• [d]. Lit "begot," and so in vv 11, 12
• [e]. Lit "begot," and so in vv 11, 12
• [f]. In Neh 12:2, "Malluch"
• [g]. Lit "in the commandment of"