Nehemiah · chapter 12 of 13
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Nehemiah 12 lists the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the high priests of later generations, and describes the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. The Levites are brought to the city, the people and the gates are purified, two great choirs march on the wall with Ezra and Nehemiah, and at the temple they offer sacrifices with such joy that it is heard far away.
This chapter closes the rebuilding of Jerusalem with a celebration. First it gathers lists of priests and Levites that show the continuity of service to God; then it tells of the dedication of the wall with music and processions. It is a scene that combines memory, order and joy, and shows that the work was completed not only with stones but with worship.
The chapter begins with the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the heads of the priestly houses. Then it presents the high priests in succession: Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim Eliashib, Eliashib Joiada, Joiada Jonathan and Jonathan Jaddua. The heads of the priestly and Levitical houses in the days of Joiakim and the later Persian reigns are also recorded.
For the dedication of the wall, the Levites are sought out from all their places and brought to Jerusalem, to celebrate with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, cymbals, harps and lyres. The singers gather from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages. The priests and Levites purify themselves, and then purify the people, the gates and the wall.
Nehemiah brings the leaders of Judah up onto the wall and appoints two great choirs of thanksgiving. One goes to the right along the wall, toward the Dung Gate, with Ezra the scribe in front. The other goes the opposite way, with Nehemiah and half of the people. The two choirs stand in the house of God. That day they offer great sacrifices and rejoice, because God had given them great joy, and the women and children rejoice as well. The joy of Jerusalem is heard far away.
On that day men are appointed over the storehouses to gather the contributions, firstfruits and tithes that the law assigned to the priests and Levites. Judah rejoices over the priests and Levites who serve, and the singers and gatekeepers keep the service of their God and the service of purification, according to the command of David and Solomon. All Israel gives the singers and gatekeepers their daily portion, and the Levites what is set apart for them.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
For the dedication of the wall they seek out the Levites from all their places to celebrate with gladness, thanksgiving and singing. The dedication is not a civic inauguration: it is a festival of worship.
The priests and Levites purify themselves, and then purify the people, the gates and the wall. Before celebrating, the people acknowledge that the work belongs to God and must be consecrated.
Nehemiah brings the leaders of Judah up on the wall and appoints two great choirs that march in opposite directions. Those who built the wall now walk on it, singing to God.
That day they offer great sacrifices and rejoice, because God gave them great joy, and the women and children rejoice too. The joy of Jerusalem is heard far away.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Those who came up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. — Nehemiah 12:1
Answer: They purified themselves, and then purified the people, the gates and the wall. — Nehemiah 12:30
Answer: Two great choirs of thanksgiving. — Nehemiah 12:31
Answer: Ezra the scribe. — Nehemiah 12:36
Answer: Great sacrifices, and they rejoiced with great joy, even the women and children. — Nehemiah 12:43
Answer: Men were appointed over the storehouses to gather and distribute the contributions set by the law. — Nehemiah 12:44
Nehemiah 12 shows that finishing a work calls for a celebration that gives glory to God. In a small group you can ask how you celebrate what God does in the church or the family, and whether you set aside time for praise and thanksgiving instead of moving straight to the next thing.
The chapter also teaches us to purify ourselves before celebrating. The people recognized that the work was God's and consecrated it. And the ending, with portions assigned to those who serve, reminds us that the community should care for those who serve in ministry, so that praise and service continue over time.
Nehemiah 12 ends with worship organized and supported by all Israel. Chapter 13, the last of the book, shows how, after an absence of Nehemiah, the people fall back into old mistakes and a new reform is needed.
The lists show that service to God continues through the generations and that every person counts. They also give a legal basis for the priesthood and the Levites, which mattered in a community that had just returned from exile. The names are evidence that worship in Jerusalem resumed with the order the law required.
The wall was finished in Nehemiah 6, and this is its formal dedication. The text does not say how much time passed between the two events, but in between came the reading of the law, the confession and the covenant. The dedication comes after the spiritual renewal, which suggests that the wall is understood as part of the people's life of worship.