Nehemiah 12:1-26

Nehemiah 12:1-26

[1] Now these are the priests  and the Levites  that went up  with Zerubbabel  the son  of Shealtiel,  and Jeshua:  Seraiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezra,  [2] Amariah,  Malluch,  Hattush,  [3] Shechaniah,  Rehum,  Meremoth,  [4] Iddo,  Ginnetho,  Abijah,  [5] Miamin,  Maadiah,  Bilgah,  [6] Shemaiah,  and Joiarib,  Jedaiah,  [7] Sallu,  Amok,  Hilkiah,  Jedaiah.  These were the chief  of the priests  and of their brethren  in the days  of Jeshua.  [8] Moreover the Levites:  Jeshua,  Binnui,  Kadmiel,  Sherebiah,  Judah,  and Mattaniah,  which was over the thanksgiving,  he and his brethren.  [9] Also Bakbukiah  and Unni,  their brethren,  were over against them in the watches.  [10] And Jeshua  begat  Joiakim,  also begat  Eliashib,  begat  Joiada,  [11] And Joiada  begat  Jonathan,  begat  Jaddua.  [12] And in the days  of Joiakim  were priests,  the chief  of the fathers:  of Seraiah,  Meraiah;  of Jeremiah,  Hananiah;  [13] Of Ezra,  Meshullam;  of Amariah,  Jehohanan;  [14] Of Melicu,  Jonathan;  of Shebaniah,  Joseph;  [15] Of Harim,  Adna;  of Meraioth,  Helkai;  [16] Of Iddo,  Zechariah;  of Ginnethon,  Meshullam;  [17] Of Abijah,  Zichri;  of Miniamin,  of Moadiah,  Piltai;  [18] Of Bilgah,  Shammua;  of Shemaiah,  Jehonathan;  [19] And of Joiarib,  Mattenai;  of Jedaiah,  Uzzi;  [20] Of Sallai,  Kallai;  of Amok,  Eber;  [21] Of Hilkiah,  Hashabiah;  of Jedaiah,  Nethaneel.  [22] The Levites  in the days  of Eliashib,  Joiada,  and Johanan,  and Jaddua,  were recorded  chief  of the fathers:  also the priests,  to the reign  of Darius  the Persian.  [23] The sons  of Levi,  the chief  of the fathers,  were written  in the book  of the chronicles,  even until the days  of Johanan  the son  of Eliashib.  [24] And the chief  of the Levites:  Hashabiah,  Sherebiah,  and Jeshua  the son  of Kadmiel,  with their brethren  over against them, to praise  and to give thanks,  according to the commandment  of David  the man  of God,  ward  over against  ward.  [25] Mattaniah,  and Bakbukiah,  Obadiah,  Meshullam,  Talmon,  Akkub,  were porters  keeping  the ward  at the thresholds  of the gates.  [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. 

What does Nehemiah 12:1-26 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The priests and Levites were the most important people who returned from exile because they reestablished worship in the land. Nehemiah 12:1-7 give the names of22leaders among them who had returned in537 B.C. with Zerubbabel and Jeshua (cf. 1 Chronicles 24:7-19). The writer also mentioned eight Levites by name ( Nehemiah 12:8-9; cf. Ezra 2:40-42).
The genealogy of the high priest was especially important. Five succeeding descendants of Jeshua appear in the text ( Nehemiah 12:10-11). [1] This list continues the one in 1 Chronicles 6:3-15 that ends with the Babylonian exile in586 B.C.
The text also lists heads of21priestly families in the generation that followed Jeshua"s ( Nehemiah 12:12-21). The names of the heads of the nine Levitical families that Nehemiah referred to in Nehemiah 12:22 appear in Nehemiah 12:24-26. The four high priests he mentioned in Nehemiah 12:22 evidently registered these names. Darius the Persian ( Nehemiah 12:22) is probably Darius II (423-404 B.C.). [2] The "Book of the Chronicles" ( Nehemiah 12:23) is not the canonical Book of Chronicles but another record of names. [3]