12:1 These are the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 12:3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 12:4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah, 12:5 Mijamin, Moadiah, Bilgah, 12:6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their colleagues in the days of Jeshua. 12:8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who together with his colleagues was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 12:9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their colleagues, stood opposite them in the services.
Chapter 12 continues the list which begun in chapter 11. Verses 1-9 contain a list of the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel and Joshua almost 100 years earlier. David had established 24 divisions of priests, but only 22 names were listed. This could be either a copyist error, or these other 2 lines had been exterminated during the Babylonian Captivity.
12:10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim, Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of Joiada, 12:11 Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
Nehemiah listed the line of the high priests from Jeshua to Jaddua.
12:12 In the days of Joiakim, these were the priests who were leaders of the families: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 12:13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 12:14 of Malluch, Jonathan; of Shecaniah, Joseph; 12:15 of Harim, Adna; of Meremoth, Helkai; 12:16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 12:17 of Abijah, Zicri; of Miniamin and of Moadiah, Piltai; 12:18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 12:19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 12:20 of Sallu, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 12:21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
Nehemiah listed the heads of the priestly families in the days of Joiakim. Joiakim was Jeshua’s successor as high priest. Zechariah was the famous prophet of the book which bears his name.
12:22 As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan and Jaddua the heads of families were recorded, as were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian. 12:23 The descendants of Levi were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles as heads of families up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib. 12:24 And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their colleagues, who stood opposite them to offer praise and thanks, one contingent corresponding to the other, as specified by David the man of God. 12:25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who were guarding the storerooms at the gates. 12:26 These all served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priestly scribe.
The genealogies of the Levitical family were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles. This book no longer exists.
Darius is probably Darius II who ruled Persia from 423 to 404 B.C.
According to the Elephantine papyri, Johanan was high priest in 408 B.C.
Josephus identified Jaddua as the man who was the high priest when Alexander the Great invaded Persia. According to Josephus, Jaddua showed Alexander the Great prophecies written by Daniel the prophet. Alexander was so impressed that he was mentioned prophetically in Daniel, that he did not hellenize Jerusalem. He allowed the Jews to keep their Jewish language and culture. This decision by Alexander the Great protected Judaism from being hellenized completely.
12:27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought out the Levites from all the places they lived to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication joyfully with songs of thanksgiving and songs accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. 12:28 The singers were also assembled from the district around Jerusalem and from the settlements of the Netophathites 12:29 and from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built settlements for themselves around Jerusalem.
When the walls were completed, there was a large musical celebration performed by the famous Levitical musicians.
12:30 When the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
The wall was purified by the sprinkling of blood. The blood pointed to the blood spilt by the Messiah to purify sinners.
12:31 I brought the leaders of Judah up on top of the wall, and I appointed two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on the top of the wall southward toward the Dung Gate. 12:32 Going after them were Hoshaiah, half the leaders of Judah, 12:33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 12:35 some of the priests with trumpets, Zechariah 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 colleagues—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with musical instruments of David the man of God. (Ezra the scribe led them.) 12:37 They went over the Fountain Gate and continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall. They passed the house of David and continued on to the Water Gate toward the east.
Nehemiah organized two Levitical choir groups to encircle the city. They played praise music which gave thanks to God.
12:38 The second choir was proceeding in the opposite direction. I followed them, along with half the people, on top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall, 12:39 over the Ephraim Gate, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard. 12:40 Then the two choirs that gave thanks took their stations in the temple of God. I did also, along with half the officials with me, 12:41 and the priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with their trumpets—12:42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. The choirs sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah. 12:43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away.
The two choirs circled the walls in opposite directions, stopping at the Gate of the Guard.
12:44 On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, first fruits, and tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions prescribed by the law for the priests and the Levites, for the people of Judah took delight in the priests and Levites who were ministering.
Levites were appointed over different storerooms. The storerooms were used to store the offerings which were used to feed the Levitical families.
12:45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and his son Solomon.
The service of purification involved sprinkling the blood of the lamb over all temple utensils. The singers and gatekeepers comprised different Levitical family groups which David designed before his death. He gave this plan to his son Solomon. Solomon executed David’s Levitical singing program.
12:46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanks to God.
David and Asaph were both gifted musicians. David composed about 73 of the Psalms. Asaph composed at least one of the Psalms.
12:47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel was contributing the portions for the singers and gatekeepers, according to the daily need. They also set aside the portion for the Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.
All of the people were gladly offering their sacrifices. These sacrifices supported the Levitical priests. The priests were able to study and teach the Word of God. They were able to burn the sacrifices which gave object lessons of a coming Messiah who would be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.