Nehemiah 12: The priests and Levites, and the dedication of the wall

In plain English: These are the priests and the Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

In plain English: Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

In plain English: Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

In plain English: Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

In plain English: Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

In plain English: Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,

In plain English: Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the chiefs (or: heads) of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua.

In plain English: The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah. Mattaniah, with his brothers, was over the songs of thanksgiving.

In plain English: Bakbukiah and Unno, their brothers, stood opposite them (or: close to them) in their duties.

In plain English: Jeshua became the father of Joiakim, Joiakim became the father of Eliashib, and Eliashib became the father of Joiada.

In plain English: Joiada became the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan became the father of Jaddua.

In plain English: In the days of Joiakim these were the priests, the heads of the fathers' households: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

In plain English: of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

In plain English: of Malluchi, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

In plain English: of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

In plain English: of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

In plain English: of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

In plain English: of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

In plain English: of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

In plain English: of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

In plain English: of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethanel.

In plain English: As for the Levites, in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of the fathers' households were written down. So were the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian.

In plain English: The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers' households, were written in the book of the chronicles (literally: the scroll of the matters of the days), up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

The Hebrew words: "The book of the chronicles" is sefer divrei ha-yamim, which reads literally "the scroll of the matters of the days". The dictionary gives sefer as "properly, writing (the art or a document); by implication, a book".

Good to know: The verse does not say which scroll this is, or whether it is a scroll we have today. It says the heads of the Levite families were written in it up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib.

In plain English: The chiefs of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel. Their brothers stood opposite them (or: close to them) to praise and give thanks, by the command of David the man of God, one division matching the next.

In plain English: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers, keeping watch at the storerooms of the gates.

In plain English: 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 and scribe.

In plain English: At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, people sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to keep the dedication with joy, with thanksgivings and with song, with cymbals, stringed instruments (or: lyres), and harps.

In plain English: The sons of the singers gathered together, from the district around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,

In plain English: and from Beth Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem.

In plain English: The priests and the Levites purified themselves. Then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.

In plain English: Then I brought the princes (or: leaders) of Judah up on the wall. I appointed two great companies who gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the right on the wall, toward the Dung Gate.

The Hebrew word: "Companies who gave thanks" is todot, from todah. The dictionary gives it as "properly, an extension of the hand, i.e. (by implication) avowal, or (usually) adoration; specifically, a choir of worshippers".

How it is translated: The word is in 4 verses of Nehemiah (12:27, 12:31, 12:38, and 12:40). The WEB uses a form of "thanks" in all 4: "giving thanks" in verse 27 and "gave thanks" in the other three. The Hebrew word allows both a giving of thanks and a choir that gives it.

The Hebrew word: "Dung Gate" is the gate of the ashpot, which the dictionary gives as "a heap of rubbish or filth".

In plain English: After them went Hoshaiah and half of the princes of Judah,

In plain English: and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam,

In plain English: Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

In plain English: and some of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph;

In plain English: and his brothers Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. Ezra the scribe was before them.

In plain English: At the Spring Gate, and straight ahead of them, they went up the steps of the city of David, at the rise of the wall, above the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.

In plain English: The second company who gave thanks went to meet them, and I came after them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of the Furnaces (or: ovens), to the Broad Wall,

In plain English: and above the Gate of Ephraim, and the Old Gate (or: the Gate of Jeshanah), and the Fish Gate, and the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of Hammeah (or: the Tower of the Hundred), to the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

The Hebrew words: "The Old Gate" is shaar ha-yeshanah. The dictionary lists Yeshanah as "Jeshanah, a place in Palestine", so the Hebrew can be read as the Gate of Jeshanah (a place name) or as the Old Gate. The "Tower of Hammeah" is the tower of ha-meah, which the dictionary gives as "Meah, a tower in Jerusalem"; the word-by-word data reads it "the hundred".

What changes: With the name readings the gate is named for a place called Jeshanah and the tower is a tower called Meah. With the other readings they are the Old Gate and the Tower of the Hundred. The verse does not choose.

The Hebrew word: "The Gate of the Guard" is shaar ha-mattarah. The dictionary gives mattarah as "a jail (as a guard-house); also an aim (as being closely watched)".

In plain English: So the two companies who gave thanks took their stand in God's house, and I did too, with half of the officials (or: rulers) with me,

In plain English: and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets,

In plain English: and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers made their voices heard (or: sang loud), with Jezrahiah as their overseer.

The Hebrew words: "Made their voices heard" is vayashmiu, which reads literally "they caused to hear". The WEB says "sang loud". The verse does not say what they sang.

In plain English: That day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy. The women and the children rejoiced too, and the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

In plain English: That day men were appointed over the rooms for the stores, the contributions (or: wave offerings), the first fruits, and the tithes. They were to gather into them, from the fields of the cities, the portions the law gave to the priests and the Levites. For Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who stood and served.

In plain English: They kept the service of their God and the service of purification. So did the singers and the gatekeepers, by the command of David and of Solomon his son.

In plain English: For in the days of David and Asaph, long ago, there were chiefs of the singers (or: a chief of the singers), and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

In plain English: All Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, each day's portion on its day. They set apart what was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart what was for the sons of Aaron.