Nehemiah 12:31-47

Procedures for the Temple

31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top * of the wall, and I appointed two great choirs, ¹the first proceeding to the right on top * of the wall toward ²the Refuse Gate.

32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed * them,

33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

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, ³with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.

37 At ⁴the Fountain Gate they went directly up ⁵the steps of the city of David by the stairway of the wall above * the house of David to ⁶the Water Gate on the east.

38 ⁷The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, ⁸above * the Tower of Furnaces, to ⁹the Broad Wall,

39 and above * ¹⁰the Gate of Ephraim, by ¹¹the Old Gate, by the ¹²Fish Gate, ¹³the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at ¹⁴the 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 ¹⁵God 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 ¹⁶men 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.

45 For they performed the worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers ¹⁷in accordance with the command of David and of his son Solomon.

46 For in the days of David and ¹⁸Asaph, in ancient times, there were ¹⁹leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.

47 So all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers ²⁰as each day required, and ²¹set apart the consecrated portion for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portion for the sons of Aaron.

Nehemiah 12:31-47 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 12:38
• 2. Nehemiah 2:13
• 3. Nehemiah 12:24
• 4. Nehemiah 2:14
• 5. Nehemiah 3:15
• 6. Nehemiah 3:26
• 7. Nehemiah 12:31
• 8. Nehemiah 3:11
• 9. Nehemiah 3:8
• 10. Nehemiah 8:16
• 11. Nehemiah 3:6
• 12. Nehemiah 3:3
• 13. Nehemiah 3:1
• 14. Nehemiah 3:25
• 15. Psalms 9:2; Psalms 92:4
• 16. Neh 13:4, 5, 12, 13
• 17. 1 Chronicles 25:1
• 18. 2 Chronicles 29:30
• 19. 1 Chronicles 9:33
• 20. Nehemiah 11:23
• 21. Numbers 18:21

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "thanksgiving choirs"
• [b]. Heb "and processions to the right"
• [c]. Lit "brothers"
• [d]. Lit "thanksgiving choir"
• [e]. Lit "front"
• [f]. Lit "caused their voices to be heard"
• [g]. Lit "stood"
• [h]. Lit "service"
• [i]. Lit "heads"