Nehemiah 12:34-44

34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,

36 and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, ¹with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.

37 At ²the Fountain Gate they went directly up ³the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above * the house of David to ⁴the Water Gate on the east.

38 ⁵The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, ⁶above * the Tower of Furnaces, to ⁷the Broad Wall,

39 and above * ⁸the Gate of Ephraim, by ⁹the Old Gate, by the ¹⁰Fish Gate, ¹¹the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at ¹²the Gate of the Guard.

40 Then the two choirs took their stand in the house of God. So did I and half of the officials with me;

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

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

43 and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because ¹³God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

44 On that day ¹⁴men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served.

Nehemiah 12:34-44 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. Nehemiah 12:24
• 2. Nehemiah 2:14
• 3. Nehemiah 3:15
• 4. Nehemiah 3:26
• 5. Nehemiah 12:31
• 6. Nehemiah 3:11
• 7. Nehemiah 3:8
• 8. Nehemiah 8:16
• 9. Nehemiah 3:6
• 10. Nehemiah 3:3
• 11. Nehemiah 3:1
• 12. Nehemiah 3:25
• 13. Psalms 9:2; Psalms 92:4
• 14. Neh 13:4, 5, 12, 13

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "brothers"
• [b] Lit "thanksgiving choir"
• [c] Lit "front"
• [d] Lit "caused their voices to be heard"
• [e] Lit "stood"