Nehemiah 12:31

_AND THE SONS OF THE SINGERS GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER, BOTH OUT OF THE PLAIN COUNTRY ROUND ABOUT JERUSALEM, AND FROM THE VILLAGES OF NETOPHATHI;_ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THESE VERSES....

27-43 All our cities, all our houses, must have holiness to the Lord written upon them. The believer should undertake nothing which he does not dedicate to the Lord. We are concerned to cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts, when any work for God is to pass through them. Those that would be employed to sanctify others, must sanctify themselves, and set themselves apart for God. To those who are sanctified, all their creature-comforts and enjoyments are made holy. The people greatly rejoiced. All that share in public mercies, ought to join in public thanksgivings....

Verse 31. _THEN I BROUGHT UP THE PRINCES_] Perhaps this verse should be read thus: "Then I caused the princes of Judah to go upon the wall, and appointed two great choirs, [to sing praises,] and _two_ processions, one on the right hand, c. The following seems to have been the order of the procession: he divided the _priests_, the _Levites_, the _magistrates_, and the _people_ into _two companies_ each company to go round one half of the wall. They began at the _dung gate_, one party going to the _right_ and the other to the _left_, till they met at the _great space_ _opposite to the temple_, where they all offered many sacrifices to God, and rejoiced with exceeding great joy; shouting so that the noise was heard a great way off....

I BROUGHT UP - Note the resumption of the first person, which has been laid aside since Nehemiah 7:5, and which is confirmed now to the end of the book. It is generally allowed that we have here once more a memoir by Nehemiah himself. The two “companies” or choirs, having ascended the wall on its western face, near the modern Jaffa Gate, stood looking eastward toward the city and temple; then the southern choir, being on the right, commenced the circuit of the southern wall, while the choir upon the left proceeded round the northern wall Nehemiah 12:38, until both met on the eastern wall, between the water and the prison gates....

PART IV. DEDICATION OF THE WALL OF JERUSALEM UNDER NEHEMIAH AND EZRA, WITH NEHEMIAH'S ARRANGEMENT OF THE TEMPLE OFFICERS, AND HIS EFFORTS FOR THE REFORM OF RELIGION (Nehemiah 12:27-16, AND Nehemiah 13:1.). EXPOSITION DEDICATION OF THE WALL

CHAPTER 12 _ 1. Priests and Levites at the time of the return under Zerubbabel and Joshua (Nehemiah 12:1)_ 2. The descendants of Joshua, the high priest (Nehemiah 12:10) 3. The heads of the priestly houses in the time of Joiakim (Nehemiah 12:12) 4. Heads of Levitical houses (Nehemiah 12:22) 5. The dedication of the walls (Nehemiah 12:27) 6. Provisions for the priests and Levites, and other temple officials ...

DEDICATION OF THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM. We should naturally expect this section to come after Nehemiah 6:15, where the completion of the walls is recorded; like so many others, this section has become misplaced from its original position. It is, in the main, taken from the memoirs of Nehemiah (see Nehemiah 12:31; Nehemiah 12:38; Nehemiah 12:40), though probably the compiler has left his marks upon it. Nehemiah 12:27. they sought the Levites. : the Levites at this time were not living in Jerusalem, but in the country villages r

COMPANIES OF THEM THAT GAVE THANKS. Heb, celebrations; "celebrations", or thanksgivings, put for the choirs who rendered them, by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Effect), App-6....

The Dedication of the Walls In the description of this solemn event, there is a return to the use of the 1st Pers. Sing. (Nehemiah 12:31_; Nehemiah 12:38; Nehemiah 12:40_). The compiler returns to the Memoirs of Nehemiah, from which he makes extracts, while he no doubt exercises a full liberty of abridgement and revision....

6. The processional and dedication ceremonies are described. TEXT, NEHEMIAH 12:31-43 31 Then I had the leaders of Judah come up on top of the wall, and I appointed two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall toward the Refuse Gate. 32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them, 33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and 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, 36 and his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 And at the Fountain Gate they went