Nehemiah 12

From testwiki
Revision as of 15:48, 3 November 2023 by imported>AnomieBOT (Substing templates: {{Format ISBN}}. See User:AnomieBOT/docs/TemplateSubster for info.)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Bible chapter Nehemiah 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible,Template:Sfn or the 22nd chapter of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah as one book.Template:Sfn Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra-Nehemiah as well as the Book of Chronicles,[1] but modern scholars generally accept that a compiler from the 5th century BCE (the so-called "Chronicler") is the final author of these books.Template:Sfn This chapter recounts the lineage of the priests and Levites and describes the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem, whose construction has been a primary concern since the beginning of the book.Template:Sfn

Text

The original text of this chapter is in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 47 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis (1008).Template:SfnTemplate:Efn

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; 𝔊B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: 𝔊S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; 𝔊A; 5th century).Template:Sfn

Priests and Levites (12:1–26)

This part records the several lists of priests and Levites to document the genuineness of the Jewish community and its religious authority, in order to give legitimacy in this postexilic community.Template:Sfn The list starts with those said to have returned with Zerubbabel in the first wave at the time of the Persian king, Cyrus (verses 1–9), but this list is quite different from the one in Ezra 2.Template:Sfn After listing the high priests from the last one at the time of exile, Jozadak, the father of Jeshua, until Jaddua (verses 10–11), it records those returning at the time of Ezra (verses 12–21), with a careful note on its sources (verses 22–23).

Verse 1

Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua:
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,[2]

Verse 3

Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,[4]

Verse 4

Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,[10]

Verse 5

Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,[13]

Verse 15

of Harim, Adna;
of Meraioth, Helkai;[17]
The beginning of the se[cond] month is [on the si]xth [day] of the course of Jedaiah. On the second of the month is the Sabbath of the course of Harim....Template:Sfn

Verse 17

of Abijah, Zichri;
the son of Minjamin;
of Moadiah, Piltai;[20]

Joyous dedication (12:27–43)

These verses describe the joyous dedication of the completed work orchestrated by Nehemiah, within the frame of a symmetrically ordered structure as follows:Template:Sfn

A Preparations for joyous dedication (verses 27–30)
B Two companies appointed (verse 31a)
C One goes to the right upon the wall (verses 31b, 37)
C' One goes to the left upon the wall (verses 38–39)
B' Two companies meet and stand at the house of God (verse 40)
A' Performance of joyous dedication (verse 43)Template:Sfn

The exuberant tone of this passage is indicated by the framework of "joy" which brackets this section (verse 27, five times in verse 43), as the final exposition after previous use in some turning points in the narrative:Template:Sfn

Two lists of participants are recorded in verses 32–36 and 41–42,Template:Sfn and also display a remarkable symmetry:Template:Sfn

  • First Company, processing to the right (verses 32–36):
A. Hoshaiah and half of the princes of Judah (verse 32)
B. Seven priests with trumpets (verses 33–35a)
C. Zechariah and eight Levitical instrumentalists (verses 35b–36a)
X. Ezra, the scribe (verse 36b)
  • Second Company, processing to the left (verses 38–42)
A. Nehemiah and half of people/officials (verses 38–40)
B. Seven priests with trumpets (verse 41)
C. Jezrahaiah and eight Levitical singers (verse 42)Template:Sfn

Verse 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.[24]
  • "Of David": or "prescribed by David" (NIV, NLT); TEV "of the kind played by David," but 'the precise relationship of these musical instruments to David is not clear'.[25]

The appearance of "Ezra, the scribe" (verse 36b) provides the primary evidence for the contemporaneity of Ezra and Nehemiah.Template:Sfn

Verse 39

And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.[26]
  • "Tower of Hananeel": a well-known landmark, which is mentioned also in Nehemiah 3:1; Jeremiah 31:38; Zechariah 14:10, standing midway between "the sheep gate" and "the fish gate", at the northeast corner of Jerusalem, then from this point, the wall which had run northwestern from the sheep gate now turned to west.[21]

Verse 42

And Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.[27]
  • "Sang loud": in Hebrew literally "made their voice to be heard".[28]

Verse 43

Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.[29]

The words "joy" and "rejoice" occur five times in this sentence: "this verse is full of joy; but before the rejoicing comes the abundant offering of sacrifices."[30] Methodist commentator Joseph Benson notes that the security of the walls meant that "they could praise the Lord there without disturbance or fear".[31]

The organization of worship (12:44–47)

The last part of this chapter focuses on the priests and Levites who help people worship God in the Temple, as their needs were taken care by the same people.Template:Sfn David was mentioned twice, indicating that the people were emulating the traditions established since the time 'God directed David to establish the Temple'.Template:Sfn Verse 47 also confirms that the pattern of bringing food for Temple workers was already observed from the time of Zerubbabel when the Temple was rebuilt, and consistently practiced until the time of Nehemiah.Template:Sfn This explains the anger of Nehemiah a few years later when he heard the people stopped providing the needs of the Temple workers (Nehemiah 13:10–13).Template:Sfn

Verse 44

And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.[32]
  • "Out of the fields": The translation reads Template:Lang (missede, "from the fields") rather than the MT reading Template:Lang (lisde, "to the fields").[33]
  • "For Judah": here in the sense of "the people of Judah", as "Judah" can be 'a proper name as well as a place name'.[34]
  • "Waited": Hebrew: "stood", NKJV: "ministered";[35] or "standing", NET Bible: "were ministering".[36]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

Sources

Further reading

Template:Book of Nehemiah

  1. ↑ Babylonian Talmud Baba Bathra 15a, apud Fensham 1982, p. 2
  2. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  3. ↑ Note [a] on Ezra 3:2 in NKJV
  4. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 ESV
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. 1 Chronicles 24. Accessed 28 April 2019.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Urbach, Ephraim E., Mishmarot u-maʻamadot, Tarbiz (A Quarterly for Jewish Studies) 42, Jerusalem 1973, pp. 304–327 (Hebrew); Rainer Degen, An Inscription of the Twenty-Four Priestly Courses from the Yemen, pub. in: Tarbiẕ - A Quarterly for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem 1973, pp. 302–303
  7. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:3 in NKJV
  8. ↑ Note [b] on Nehemiah 12:3 in NKJV
  9. ↑ Note [c] on Nehemiah 12:3 in NKJV
  10. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 NKJV
  11. ↑ Note on Nehemiah 12:4 in NKJV
  12. ↑ Note on Nehemiah 12:4 in NET Bible
  13. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 NKJV
  14. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:5 in NKJV
  15. ↑ Note [b] on Nehemiah 12:5 in NKJV
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Ellicott, C. J. (Ed.) (1905). Ellicott's Bible Commentary for English Readers. 1 Chronicles 24. London : Cassell and Company, Limited, [1905-1906] Online version: (OCoLC) 929526708. Accessed 28 April 2019.
  17. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 MEV
  18. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:15 in NKJV
  19. ↑ Note [b] on Nehemiah 12:15 in NKJV
  20. ↑ Template:Bibleref2 NKJV
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Nehemiah 3. Accessed 28 April 2019.
  22. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:5 in NKJV
  23. ↑ Note [b] on Nehemiah 12:5 in NKJV
  24. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  25. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:36 in NET Bible
  26. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  27. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  28. ↑ Note on Nehemiah 12:42 in NKJV
  29. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  30. ↑ Pope, W.B. (1905), Ezra and Nehemiah, on Nehemiah 12, in the Layman's Handy Commentary Series, edited by Charles Ellicott, accessed 18 September 2020
  31. ↑ Benson, J., Benson Commentary on Nehemiah 12, accessed 18 September 2020
  32. ↑ Template:Bibleverse KJV
  33. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:44 in NET Bible
  34. ↑ Note [b] on Nehemiah 12:44 in NET Bible
  35. ↑ Note [a] on Nehemiah 12:44 in NKJV
  36. ↑ Note [c] on Nehemiah 12:44 in NET Bible
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.beta.math.wmflabs.org/w/index.php?title=Nehemiah_12&oldid=44378"