BibleTools
Nehemiah 12:27
Compare all
25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping the watch at the storerooms of the gates.
26 These lived in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah athe governor, and of Ezra the priest, bthe scribe.  

Nehemiah Dedicates the Wall

27 Now at athe dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, bboth with thanksgivings and singing, with cymbals and stringed instruments and harps.  
28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, from the avillages of the Netophathites,  
29 from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages all around Jerusalem.
30 Then the priests and Levites apurified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.  
31 So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. aOne went to the right hand on the wall btoward the Refuse Gate.  
32 After them went Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah,
33 and Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,
35 and some of the priests’ sons awith trumpets—Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,  
36 and his brethren, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with athe musical binstruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe went before them.  
37 aBy the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up bthe stairs of the cCity of David, on the stairway of the wall, beyond the house of David, as far as dthe Water Gate eastward.  
38 aThe other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the bTower of the Ovens as far as cthe Broad Wall,  
39 aand above the Gate of Ephraim, above bthe Old Gate, above cthe Fish Gate, dthe Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred, as far as ethe Sheep Gate; and they stopped by fthe Gate of the Prison.  
40 So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me;
41 and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Minjamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;  
42 also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loudly with Jezrahiah the director.  
43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard aafar off.  

Temple Responsibilities

44 aAnd at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the btithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered.  
45 Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, aaccording to the command of David and Solomon his son.  
Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
<< Nehemiah 12:26   Nehemiah 12:28 >>


Nehemiah 12:27

At the dedication of the wall - They sent for the Levites from all quarters, that this dedication might be as solemn and majestic as possible; and it is likely that this was done as soon as convenient after the walls were finished. The dedication seems to have consisted in processions of the most eminent persons around the walls, and thanksgivings to God, who had enabled them to bring the work to so happy a conclusion: and no doubt to all this were added a particular consecration of the city to God, and the most earnest invocation that he would take it under his guardian care, and defend it and its inhabitants against all their enemies.

The ancients consecrated their cities to the gods, and the very walls were considered as sacred. Ovid gives us an account of the ceremonies used in laying the foundations of the walls of the city of Rome, by Romulus. After having consulted together who should give name to the city, and have the direction of the wall by which it was necessary to surround it, they agreed to let the case be decided by the flight of birds. One brother went to the top of the Mons Palatinus, the other to that of Mount Aventine. Romulus saw twelve birds, Remus saw but six; the former, therefore, according to agreement, took the command. The poet thus describes the ceremonies used on the occasion: -

Apta dies legitur, qua moenia signet aratro;

Sacra Palis suberant; inde movetur opus.

Fossa fit AD solidum: fruges jaciuntur in ima.

Et de vicino terra petita solo

Fossa repletur humo, plenaeque imponitur ara;

Et novus accenso finditur igne focus.

Inde, premens stivam, designat moenia sulco;

Alba jugum niveo cum bove vacca tulit.

Vox tuit haec regis; Condenti Jupiter urbem,

Et genitor Mavors, Vestaque mater ades:

Quosque pium est adhibere deos, advertite cuncti:

Auspicibus vobis hoc mihi surgat opus.

Longa sit huic aetas, dominaeque potentia terrae:

Sitque sub hac oriens occiduusque dies! Ille precabatur .

Ovid, Fast. lib. iv., ver. 819.

\ri720 "A proper day is chosen in which he may mark out the walls with the plough: the festival of Pales was at hand when the work was begun. A ditch is dug down to the solid clay, into which they cast the fruits of the season; and bring earth from the neighboring ground, with which they fill up the trench; and on it build an altar, by whose flames the newly made hearth is cleft asunder. Then Romulus, seizing the plough, which a white heifer yoked with a snowy bull drew along, marked out the walls with a furrow. And thus spoke the king: ' O Jupiter, and Father Mars, with Matron Vesta, prosper me in founding this city! And all ye gods, approach, whomsoever it is right to invoke! Under your auspices may the work arise; may it endure for countless ages, and be the mistress of the world; and may the East and the West be under its control!' Thus he prayed."

The above is a literal version, and the account is not a little curious.


 
<< Nehemiah 12:26   Nehemiah 12:28 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,114+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page