Nehemiah 12:25-36
Ne 12:25
Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon,
Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates.
And Bakbakkar,
Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of
Asaph; (1 Chronicles 9:15)
These were the ones who watched those who gathered at the gates to keep an eye
out for any wrongful activities or who also watched over any financial
collections they collected for the temple service or other needs.
Ne 12:26
These were in the days of Joiakim the son of
Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of
Ezra the priest, the scribe.
Joiakim was now the High priest descended from his
grandfather who was the High priest while in Babylon.
The time frame is the present under the authority of Nehemiah and Ezra
the scribe who served simultaneously with Nehemiah.
Ne 12:27
And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they
sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep
the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with
cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.
Then when the day of dedicating the wall to God who had
brought them through all the hard times, they had sent word to all the
surrounding communities to bring all the Levites out to come to Jerusalem for
the dedication. The dedication was
to restore the city to God as his special place where he placed his name.
And unto his son will I give one
tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the
city which I have chosen me to put my name there. (1 Kings 11:36)
It was to be a time of great dedication complete with singers and
instruments.
Ne 12:28
And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together,
both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of
Netophathi;
The sons of the singers were those who were trained to
become so. The plains where they
sent word to gather the singers from where the plains of Jordan, Saron, and
Lydda. The villages of Netophathi
were about 10 miles (16 KM) south of Jerusalem.
And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son
of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah,
that dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites. (1 Chronicles 9:16)
Two of David’s Officers were from this area.
Ne 12:29
Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of
Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about
Jerusalem.
The house of Gilgal was located in the plains of Jericho.
Geba was a Levitical city within the tribe of Benjamin.
And out of the tribe of Benjamin,
Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, (Joshua 21:17)
Azmaveth is the same as Bethazmaveth was about 5 miles (8 KM) northeast
of Jerusalem. They built villages
which were close so they could easily get to the city when their services were
needed.
Ne 12:30
And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and
purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
The purification that they partook of would have been the
same one found in Numbers 8:6-7:
6 Take the Levites from among the children of
Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to
cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all
their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves
clean. (Numbers 8:6-7)
Then within that purification, they also purified the
gates and the wall by sprinkling the waters upon all of them in dedication to
the LORD making them ceremonially clean.
Ne 12:31
Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and
appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one
went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:
Then there was a great procession of princes upon the
wall which was now strengthened because of the repairs.
The two great companies which Nehemiah appointed were large in number and
specifically were assigned to give thanks unto the LORD.
They were stationed on the eastern part of the wall between the Dung gate
and the Fountain Gate. One company
when forth toward the Dung gate which meant they were facing outward over the
wall because the Dung gate would have been on their right hand side.
Ne 12:32
And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of
Judah,
Hoshaiah was one of the men who signed the covenant of
obedience back in chapter 10. So
half of the princes of Judah had gone with this first company which headed to
the right toward the Dung gate.
Ne 12:33
And Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,
Next in line to follow the group heading toward the Dung
gate were priestly families. This
is not Ezra the Scribe because he had a different place in the procession.
Ne 12:34
Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,
Then there were four of the principal princes of Judah
who followed in the procession.
Judah and Benjamin named here are not the tribes but were two of the named
princes. Jeremiah is not the
prophet Jeremiah but is one of the named princes.
Ne 12:35
And certain of the priests' sons with trumpets;
namely, 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:
Then there was a company of priests who had sounded the
trumpets on the wall. Zaccur was
not one of the Levites but was a named priest in this procession.
Ne 12:36
And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai,
Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of
David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.