Nehemiah 12:27

27 Forsooth in the hallowing of the wall of Jerusalem they sought (out the) deacons of all their places, to bring them into Jerusalem, and to make the hallowing in gladness, in the doing of thankings, and in song, and in cymbals, and in psalteries, and in harps. (And for the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites in all the places where they were, to bring them to Jerusalem, to celebrate the dedication with gladness, and thanksgiving, and with songs, and cymbals, and lutes, and harps.)

Nehemiah 12:27 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 12:27

And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem
In which many priests and Levites assisted, and seems to be the reason of the above account of them; the dedication of the wall takes in the whole city, gates, and houses, ( Nehemiah 12:30 ) , and if a new house was to be dedicated, much more a new city, and especially the holy city, in which stood the temple of the Lord, see ( Deuteronomy 20:5 ) , this dedication was made by prayer and songs of praise, as follow, and no doubt by sacrifices, and was kept as a festival; and indeed, according to the Jewish writers {q}, it was annually observed on the seventh of Elul, or August; it was on the twenty fifth of that month that the wall was finished, ( Nehemiah 6:15 ) , but the gates were not set up, and all things for the dedication were not ready till Elul, or August, following; and then all being finished, they made and served the seventh of that month as a festival:

they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to
Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness;
to assist in the solemnity of the day both with vocal and instrumental music, as follows:

both with thanksgiving and with singing;
with songs of praise and thankfulness vocally, that they had been able, notwithstanding all the malice of their enemies, to build the wall in so short a time; or with a song, perhaps the thirtieth psalm was sung on this occasion:

with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps;
some playing on one, and some on another, which were the three principal instruments of music used by them, see ( 1 Chronicles 15:16 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Megillath Thainith, c. 3. apud Selden. de Synedr. l. 3. c. 13. sect. 12.

Nehemiah 12:27 In-Context

25 Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, and Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, (and) Akkub, were keepers of the gates, and of the porches before the gates. (Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were the guards, or the doorkeepers, standing guard at the gate-houses.)

26 These men were (serving) in the days of Joiakim, the son of Joshua, son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah, the duke, and of Ezra, the priest and writer. (These men served in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua, or Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah, the governor, and of Ezra, the priest and writer/the priest and teacher of the Law.)

27 Forsooth in the hallowing of the wall of Jerusalem they sought (out the) deacons of all their places, to bring them into Jerusalem, and to make the hallowing in gladness, in the doing of thankings, and in song, and in cymbals, and in psalteries, and in harps. (And for the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites in all the places where they were, to bring them to Jerusalem, to celebrate the dedication with gladness, and thanksgiving, and with songs, and cymbals, and lutes, and harps.)

28 And the sons of (the) singers were gathered together, both from the field places about Jerusalem, and from the towns of Netophathi (and from the towns of the Netophathites),

29 and from the house of Gilgal, and from the country(sides) of Geba, and of Azmaveth; for the singers had builded towns to themselves in the compass of Jerusalem (for the singers had built towns for themselves all around Jerusalem).