Nehemiah 12:31-47

Nehemiah 12:31-47

[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:  [32] And after  Hoshaiah,  and half  of the princes  of Judah,  [33] And Azariah,  Ezra,  and Meshullam,  [34] Judah,  and Benjamin,  and Shemaiah,  and Jeremiah,  [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:  [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  [37] And at the fountain  gate,  which was over against them, they went up  by the stairs  of the city  of David,  at the going up  of the wall,  above the house  of David,  even unto the water  gate  eastward.  [38] And the other  company of them that gave thanks  went  over against  them, and I after  them, and the half  of the people  upon the wall,  from beyond the tower  of the furnaces  even unto the broad  wall;  [39] And from above the gate  of Ephraim,  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.  [40] So stood  the two  companies of them that gave thanks  in the house  of God,  and I, and the half  of the rulers  [41] And the priests;  Eliakim,  Maaseiah,  Miniamin,  Michaiah,  Elioenai,  Zechariah,  and Hananiah,  with trumpets;  [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.  [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.  [44] And at that time  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.  [45] And both the singers  and the porters  kept  the ward  of their God,  and the ward  of the purification,  according to the commandment  of David,  and of Solomon  his son.  [46] For in the days  of David  and Asaph  of old  there were chief  of the singers,  and songs  of praise  and thanksgiving  unto God.  [47] And all Israel  in the days  of Zerubbabel,  and in the days  of Nehemiah,  gave  the portions  of the singers  and the porters,  every day  his portion:  and they sanctified  holy things unto the Levites;  sanctified  them unto the children  of Aaron. 

What does Nehemiah 12:31-47 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

One large choir mounted the city wall and walked around it counterclockwise, evidently beginning at the Valley Gate ( Nehemiah 12:31-37). Another choir mounted it, probably at the same place, and proceeded in a clockwise direction ( Nehemiah 12:38-39). Both groups appear to have sung as they walked ( Nehemiah 12:42). They met at the temple ( Nehemiah 12:40-42). There the priests offered many sacrifices and the people rejoiced greatly ( Nehemiah 12:43). This was the same wall that Tobiah had earlier claimed would be so weak that even a fox walking on it would break it down ( Nehemiah 4:3)!
"The final consummation of Nehemiah"s work had been reached. The city was protected by a wall and could resist any attempt of the neighboring nations to attack it. This was one of the main reasons for the joy. The other was that the people had demonstrated that they could perform a major task as a unit, and this proved to be a great stimulus to their morale." [1]
Nehemiah also reestablished the temple service as David had organized it ( Nehemiah 12:44-47). He did for the second temple what David had done for the first temple.
This was the greatest day in the history of the restoration community. Israel was now back in the land more securely and scripturally than it had been since the first exiles had returned. Nehemiah had succeeded in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, reestablishing the Mosaic Law as Israel"s authority, and reorganizing the temple ministry in harmony with God"s will.