Bible Commentaries

Now these [are] the priests and the Levites that ^a went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

(a) From Babylon to Jerusalem.

Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These [were] the ^b chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

(b) Next in dignity to the high priests and who were of the stock of Aaron.

Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, [and] Mattaniah, ^c [which was] over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

(c) Had charge of them who sang the psalms.

Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, [were] over against them in the ^d watches.

(d) They kept the wards and watches according to their turns, (2 Chronicles 23:6).

And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of ^e Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;

(e) That is, next to Seraiah or rather of the order, who was called after the name of Seraiah.

Of ^f Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

(f) Of which was Zachariah, John the Baptist's father.

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 ^g against ward.

(g) That is, one after another and every one in his course.

And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of ^h Netophathi;

(h) Who were a certain family and had their possessions in the fields, (1 Chronicles 2:54).

Then ⁱ 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:

(i) Meaning, Nehemiah.

And ^k 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 them.

(k) That is, the brass throne of Zaccur.

And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the ^l stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.

(l) Which was going up to the mount Zion, which is called the city of David.

And at that time were some appointed ^m 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.

(m) Which were chambers appointed by Hezekiah to put in the tither, and such things, (2 Chronicles 31:11) and now were repaired again for the same use.

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; and the Levites ⁿ sanctified [them] unto the children of Aaron.

(n) That is, the tenth part of the tithes.