Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
Nehemiah 12 lists the priests and Levites who came back from exile with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and verse 4 names three of them. Why would God fill a page of Scripture with names nobody remembers, and does anything hang on these three?
One writer finds two things in the record: God's pleasure in it, and a link joining three generations of priests:
Here we have little to remark except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. Its special purpose seems to be to link the priests and Levites of Nehemiah and Ezra's day with the men who first came back from captivity. It also links them with the generation in between. He has been a dwelling place for His own in all generations. But there is more. He honours those who honour Him, and He records their names in His word now. He will also glorify them in person in the great day that is coming fast.
These men headed priestly families. How many of them returned tells a story of loss and recovery:
First come the names of the priests and Levites who went up under Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua (or Joshua), the High Priest... Verse 7 calls these men the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua. They were the heads of the twenty-four courses, the divisions of the priesthood (1 Chron. 24:1-20). Only four heads of these courses had returned from the captivity: Jedaiah, Immer, Pasher and Harim. Zerubbabel and Jeshua divided them back into the original twenty-four. But this record names only twenty-two. The Abijah of verse 4 is one of the ancestors of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5).
The first name in the verse runs on into the prophetic books. One writer explains why Scripture names two different men as the prophet Zechariah's father:
Zechariah was the son of Iddo (Ezra 5:1; 6:14), one of the priests who had come with Joshua the high priest and with Zerubbabel from Babel (Neh. 12:1, 4). When Jehoiakim, the son of Joshua, was high priest, Zechariah the son of Iddo served as a priest (Neh. 12:16). Only in his own prophecy is Zechariah called the son of Berechiah. This is easy to explain if Berechiah was the head of the family.
The meanings of the three names in this family carry a message of their own:
Zechariah is named in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14; he came from a priestly family, as we learn from Nehemiah 12:4, 16. His name means "Jehovah remembers." He was the son of Berechiah, which means "Jehovah will bless," and his grandfather was Iddo, which means "the appointed time." These names matter. You could say these three names hold the whole prophetic message of Zechariah in a nutshell. For the covenant-keeping God remembers His people... When He remembers them He will bless them, but it will be at the appointed time.
The last name in the verse appears again at the start of Luke's Gospel. The courses set up after the exile were still running then:
Ezra restored the courses of the priests and Levites when the people came back from captivity, Ezra 6:18. We find them still running in the New Testament. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was of the course of Abia. This no doubt means Abijah, the eighth name listed in 1 Chr. 24:10. At the end of his service he returned to his house. Luke 1:5, 23. The length of service was a week, starting from the Sabbath. 2 Chr. 23:8.
Commentators read the link differently. One calls Abijah an ancestor of John the Baptist. The other takes Abia in Luke as the priestly course Zacharias served in.
Such a list can look like dead weight. One writer explains why God recorded it, and what the two offices mean for believers now:
In these verses God sees fit to list the names of the priests and Levites who came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. They came in the first return, to rebuild the city... God wants to show His own approval of every person who takes it to heart to help recover the testimony of His truth, at a time when failure has left most people indifferent... At least we can learn this much: God values the worship of devoted hearts, which the priests illustrate. He asks for the service of those devoted to Him, which the Levites picture. There is no reason why both of these characteristics should not be seen in every believer today.
- Remembered — the Lord takes pleasure in recording the names of His servants. Such a list is His approval of people who helped when most were indifferent.
- Restored — only four heads of the priestly courses came back. From those four Zerubbabel and Jeshua rebuilt the twenty-four divisions.
- Continued — Abijah's course was still serving in Luke's day, a week at a time, when Zacharias was told of John's birth.
- Appointed — Iddo's line gave the prophet Zechariah. The three names in that family spell out one message: Jehovah remembers, Jehovah will bless, at the appointed time.
- Reproduced — priests picture worship, Levites picture service. Both marks belong to every believer now.
Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
Nehemiah 12:5 gives just three names — Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah. They sit inside a long list of priests who came back from Babylon. Why would God keep a line like this in His word, and who were these men?
The names belong to the very first wave of returning exiles, not to Nehemiah's own generation.
The chapter starts with the names of the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. These are the men who came up in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia. It gives only the names of "the chief of the priests, and of their brethren," in the days of Jeshua.
So the men named here were leaders of priestly families. One writer explains why the record names leaders and not every priest:
There were thousands of priests, so they could not all come together in the temple at one time. These "chief of the fathers of the priests," or elders, stood for them.
These three men stood at the head of priestly divisions set up long before the exile.
They were the heads of the twenty-four courses, or serving groups, into which the priesthood was divided (1 Chron. 24:1-20). Only four of these heads had returned from the captivity: Jedaiah, Immer, Pasher and Harim. Zerubbabel and Jeshua divided these four into the original twenty-four. But this record names only twenty-two.
The arrangement was not a museum piece. It went back into working order after the return and still ran centuries later.
Ezra restored the courses of the priests and Levites when they returned from captivity (Ezra 6:18), and we find them still working in the New Testament.
One of these names turns up again later in the chapter, spelled a little differently:
Maadiah: a priest who returned from exile. Neh. 12:5. Probably the same man as Moadiah in Neh. 12:17.
The repetition has a purpose. It links one generation of servants to the next:
The special purpose here seems to be to link the priests and Levites of Nehemiah and Ezra's day with those who first returned from the captivity, and with the generation in between.
A list of unknown men can look like filler. One writer sees God's own pleasure in it:
There is little to say here except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants… He has been a dwelling place for His own in all generations. More than that, He honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, and He will glorify them in person in the great day that is coming fast.
The list also shows what God thinks of people who help when most have given up:
God wants to show His own approval of everyone who is stirred to help recover the testimony of His truth in times when failure has left people indifferent… At the least we can learn this: God values the worship of devoted hearts, as the priests picture; and He asks the service of those devoted to Him, as the Levites picture. There is no reason why every believer today should not show both of these marks.
The three men of this verse did nothing the world would report. That gap between human memory and God's is the point.
There is something deeply solemn about being allowed to read through such a record of names. People forgot these names long ago. But God has remembered every one of them, with every detail of their path through this world. Some day our names likewise will be lost to mankind, but neither we nor our ways will be forgotten by God.
The traits God treasures are not the traits that make a name in the world:
A God-fearing walk, godly dealings with others, godly jealousy for the Lord's name — these traits will not put a man's name on the world's list of great people. The world has only a short memory for such things. It is to the heart of the Lord that they are dear. He treasures their memory, and writes their names in His book of remembrance.
- Named — Mijamin, Maadiah and Bilgah led priestly families home with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They stood in for thousands of priests.
- Ordered — they headed courses of the priesthood set up in 1 Chronicles 24. Ezra restored those courses, and they still ran in New Testament times.
- Continued — a name from this verse appears again later in the chapter, linking the first returnees to Nehemiah's day.
- Recorded — the Lord takes pleasure in writing down even the names of His servants. He honours those who honour Him.
- Remembered — the world forgets these names; God keeps them in His book of remembrance. He will glorify the people behind them in the coming day.
Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah,
A single line of names — Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah — sits inside a long roll of priests who came back from exile with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Why does God give space in His book to men we know nothing else about?
Edward Dennett dates this list and names the group:
The chapter begins with the names of the priests and Levites that went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua; that is (the reader will remember), those who went up in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia. Only the names of "the chief of the priests, and of their brethren," in the days of Jeshua, are given.
So the men named here are family heads, not the whole priesthood.
Why a list at all? One answer is that God enjoys writing names down. The Bible Treasury draws out both halves — the record now, and the glory later:
Here we have little to remark except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. The special purpose appears to be to link three groups: the priests and Levites in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra, those who first returned from captivity, and the generation in between. He has been a dwelling place for His own in all generations. But there is more. He honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, and He will glorify their persons in the great day that is hurrying towards us.
Several names in this list also belong to well-known figures elsewhere in Scripture. It is easy to mix them up. The same writer warns against that mistake:
Do not confuse the last two names of verse 1 with the inspired men who had similar names. They were also priests, but they lived at a different time — the one before the return, the other after it. Those listed were contemporaries of Jeshua, or Joshua, the high priest of that day.
These priests were not serving in Israel's golden age. Dennett sees God's pleasure sharpened by how hard that day was:
It seems that God had a special delight in those who served His house in this time of sorrow. It then took more faith and more spiritual energy to be devoted to the interests of His people. He has caused these names to be recorded — recorded, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet holding lessons for us whose lot falls in similar times. True, there was failure, very sad failure, with some named here. But in God's sight — though He is never blind to the failure of His people — they were clothed with the beauty which He in His own grace had put on them. In preserving their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in this sorrowful period of their low estate.
Behind a verse of bare names lies a principle: God keeps a book. Hamilton Smith shows where that book is kept, and where it is not:
"A book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the Lord, and thought upon His name." They feared the Lord, and the Lord remembered them. They thought upon His name, and He will not forget their names. But it was "before Him" the book was written, not before the world. A God-fearing walk, godly dealings with others, godly jealousy for the Lord's name — these traits will not put a man's name on this world's roll of honour. The world has only a short memory for such people. It is to the heart of the Lord that they are dear. He treasures their memory, and writes their names in His book of remembrance.
F. B. Hole applies this directly to the name-lists in Nehemiah: "any sacrifice made, or service rendered, for God's work and interests is not forgotten but rather recorded before Him… That book was not peculiar to Malachi's day. It existed in Nehemiah's day, and exists in our day too."
- Named — Shemaiah, Joiarib and Jedaiah led priestly houses. They were among the first to return with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the list gives only the chiefs.
- Named, not famous — some names here echo well-known men of Scripture. Do not confuse them: these men lived in the days of Jeshua the high priest.
- Named because He delights — God takes special delight in those who serve His house in a day of sorrow. Devotion then cost more faith and more energy.
- Named in His book — the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. He writes that record before Himself, not before the world.
- Named for glory — He honours those who honour Him. He writes their names in His word now, and will glorify their persons in the day that is coming.
Sallu, Amok, Hilkijah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.
This verse closes the opening roll call of priests in Nehemiah 12 with four more names, then a line saying who they all were and when they lived. Why did God keep such a list at all?
Zerubbabel and Jeshua led the first group home from exile. These names belong to that first wave.
The chapter begins with the names of the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. That is, those who went up in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia. It gives only the names of "the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers" in the days of Jeshua.
These men were not ordinary priests, and one familiar name in the list is not who it looks like.
Ezra, mentioned in the first verse, is not the Ezra of the book of Ezra. Verse 7 says these men "were the chiefs of the priests and of their brothers in the days of Jeshua." They were the heads of the twenty-four courses, or divisions, of the priesthood (1 Chron. 24:1-20). Only four heads of these courses had returned from the captivity: Jedaiah, Immer, Pasher and Harim. Zerubbabel and Jeshua divided these four into the original twenty-four, but this record mentions only twenty-two.
The day these men served in was nothing like Israel's past.
Those listed lived in the time of Jeshua, or Joshua, the high priest of that day. It was a day weak indeed compared with the past, stripped of its ornaments, as suited a remnant of the people now Lo-Ammi.
"Lo-Ammi" means "not My people."
The list is not mere record-keeping. God notes who kept His house going in a poor day.
In the early part of this chapter (1-26) the Lord singles out by name those who served the house of God directly. In a day of weakness, it was no small thing in God's sight to keep the service of the house going. It was no small thing, while His people were sorrowing, to lead the praise and thanksgiving to Himself.
Serving in a time of sorrow costs more, and God notices the cost.
It seems as if God had a special delight in those who served His house in this time of sorrow. In such a time it took more faith and more spiritual energy to be devoted to the interests of His people. He has had these names written down — mainly for Israel, no doubt, yet they hold lessons for us who live in similar times.
Some of the men named here failed. The record keeps them anyway.
True, there was failure, very sad failure, with some named here. God is never unfeeling about the failure of His people. Yet in His eye they were robed with the beauty which He in His own grace had put upon them. And in preserving their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in this sorrowful time, when they had been brought so low.
The same early period had its Levites too.
Next we have the Levites of the same early period. It is worth noting that "the thanksgiving" did not fail in that day of shame and small things. The "wards" or "watches" did not fail either. They were careful of order to God's glory.
- Days — "In the days of Jeshua" dates the whole list. These priests came home with Zerubbabel and Jeshua in Cyrus' first year, and each headed one of the priesthood's twenty-four divisions.
- Weakness — Their day was weak next to Israel's past, stripped of its ornaments, among a people God had called "not My people."
- Faithfulness — In that weakness, thanksgiving and the watches carried on. They kept order for God's glory when there was little to keep.
- Delight — Service costs more faith when the times are hard, and God takes special pleasure in it. So He had these names written down.
- Grace — Some of these men failed, and failed sadly, yet the record holds only their service. God remembers them clothed in the beauty His own grace gave them — which is why a list of names is worth reading.
And the Levites Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, [who was] over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren;
Nehemiah 12 opens with a long list of names: the priests and Levites back from exile. Verse 8 stops on one man in charge of the thanksgiving — so why does a book about walls and gates pause for an office of praise?
The Levites served in the house of God. These men belong to the first group that returned from exile, not to Nehemiah's own day.
The chapter starts with the names of the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. They went up in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia... Next we find the chief of the Levites, with Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brothers. Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, stood opposite them in their watches.
The returned people were a small, humbled remnant. Yet the list shows two things still running: the praise and the watches.
Next we have the Levites of the same early period. It is worth noting that "the thanksgiving" did not fail in that day of shame and small things. Neither did the "wards" or "watches." They were careful of order to God's glory.
Older translations read that Mattaniah was "over the thanksgiving." The word marks an office: someone had to lead so that praise had order and direction.
The musicians were responsible for a certain order, and for a certain lead in directing the praise. It is the same in the assembly: only a small number are qualified for this office. It matters just as much as everything else that relates to worship... Today praise is connected with His heavenly glory, and so it has an entirely spiritual character.
Later in the same chapter the arrangement is spelled out further — the Levites stood facing one another to answer each other in praise.
Then the offices of some of the Levites are specified; namely, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David, the man of God, ward over against ward, others being "porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates."
The verse belongs to a record God Himself preserved, and the naming is His own mark of approval.
In the early part of this chapter the Lord singles out by name those who directly served the house of God. In a day of weakness, keeping up that service was no small thing in God's sight. Neither was leading the praise and thanksgiving to Himself while His people were in sorrow. And God has marked His approval by recording their names: the chief priests, the Levites, those who led "the thanksgiving," those who kept "the watches," and the gatekeepers who guarded "the storehouses of the gates."
Some of the men listed here later failed. That did not remove their names.
It seems as if God took a special delight in those who served His house in this time of sorrow. It then took more faith and more spiritual energy to be devoted to the interests of His people. He has caused these names to be recorded... True, there was failure, very sad failure, with some named here. But God is never blind to the failure of His people, and in His eyes these men were clothed with the beauty His own grace had put upon them. In keeping their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in this sorrowful time of their low estate.
The office raises a question about our own gatherings, and about where real praise comes from.
It is worth noting what a prominent place praise and thanksgiving had in Jewish worship. The Psalms testify to this again and again... The believer is told to give thanks in everything. Yet it is a question whether praise marks the gatherings of the saints as clearly as it should. Praise can only be known in its full and blessed character in redemption. And no one should think, even for a moment, that a sense of duty can raise the notes of praise. They can only spring from hearts made "merry" by the enjoyment of redeeming love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Recorded — These Levites came up in the first return, under Zerubbabel and Jeshua. God had their names written down.
- Appointed — "Over the thanksgiving" is an office. One man led, so that praise had order and direction, by the commandment of David.
- Maintained — Thanksgiving did not fail in a day of shame and small things. The watches held too. These men were careful of order for God's glory.
- Approved — Leading praise while the people were still in sorrow was no small thing in God's sight. Naming these men is how He marked His approval.
- Covered — Some of them failed later. Yet God kept their names and remembered only their service, and clothed them with the beauty His grace had put on them.
and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them as watches.
This verse sits inside a long list of priests and Levites, and it records one small arrangement about who stood where. Why would God keep such a detail — two names and a duty roster — in Scripture?
The chapter opens with those who returned from exile in the first wave. The priests are named first, and the Levites come after them:
The chapter begins with the names of the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. These men went up in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia... Next we find the chief of the Levites, with Mattaniah, who was over the thanksgiving, he and his brothers. Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, who were opposite them in their watches.
Where the ESV reads "in the service," older versions have "watches" — the turns of duty the Levites kept.
This was a poor and humbling time for the returned people. Two things still did not fail:
Next we have the Levites of the same early period. It is worth noticing that "the thanksgiving" did not fail in that day of shame and small things, any more than the "wards" or "watches." They were careful of order to God's glory.
Bakbukiah's company was not an afterthought. It stood opposite Mattaniah's, and the praise and the guarding both went on.
Unni is a name almost no one knows. God records it anyway:
In the early part of this chapter (1-26) the Lord picks out by name those who took a direct part in the service of the house of God. In a day of weakness it was no small thing in God's sight to keep the service of the house going. It was no small thing, while His people were in sorrow, to lead the praise and thanksgiving to Himself. God has marked His approval by recording their names: the chief priests, the Levites, those who led "the thanksgiving," those who kept "the watches," and the gatekeepers who kept "the ward at the storehouses of the gates."
Some of the men named here failed, and failed badly. That makes the way God keeps the list worth noticing:
God has caused these names to be recorded. They were recorded, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet they hold lessons for us whose lot falls in similar times. It is true that there was failure, very sad failure, with some named here. God never overlooks the failure of His people. Yet in His eye they were clothed with the beauty which He in His own grace had put upon them. And in preserving their names, He would remember nothing but the fact of their service among His people in this sorrowful time when they were brought low.
Thanksgiving is asked of believers too. But it cannot be forced:
It is worth noting what a large place praise and thanksgiving held in Jewish worship... The believer is told to give thanks in everything. Yet it is a question whether praise marks the gatherings of the saints as clearly as it should. Praise can only be known in its full and blessed character in redemption. No sense of obligation can raise the notes of praise. They can only spring from hearts made "merry" by the enjoyment of redeeming love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The list keeps priests and Levites apart. Each group pictures something a believer can take up today:
God takes care to express His own approval of every person who is stirred to help recover the testimony of His truth. He does this in times when failure has led to general apathy... At least we can learn this: God values the worship of devoted hearts, which the priests illustrate. He also asks the service of those devoted to Him, which the Levites picture. There is no reason why every believer today should not show both of these marks.
- Stationed. Bakbukiah and Unni stood opposite Mattaniah's company. Each group took its own watch.
- Sustained. Thanksgiving and the watches both continued in a day of shame and small things. The people kept order for God's glory.
- Seen. In a time of weakness, keeping the service going was no small thing in God's sight. God marked His approval by naming the men who did it.
- Spared. Some named here failed, and failed sadly. Yet by keeping their names God would remember only their service.
- Shared. Priests picture worship. Levites picture service. Both should be found in every believer now.
And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
This verse ends a short family line that began in the previous verse. It traces the high priests from Jeshua down to Jaddua. Why does a book about rebuilding a city wall keep such a list, and why does the line run past Nehemiah's own lifetime?
These names are not priests in general. They are the high priests, each son following his father. One writer walks through the chain. He also explains why one man turns up twice in this chapter under two names:
Eliashib, the son of Joiakim, served as a priest during the days of Nehemiah. He is the last high priest whom the Old Testament shows carrying out his duties. Joiada follows his father Eliashib, who according to Nehemiah 13:6 and 7 was still priest after the year 443 B.C. We are told nothing else about Joiada. Jonathan, or Johanan (vv. 11, 23), was the son of Joiada and the grandson of Eliashib. Verse 23 calls him Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, and so does Ezra 10:6. This follows a Jewish custom that appears very often. He was alive, though not serving as priest, when Ezra came to Jerusalem. Jaddua is the last priest named in the Old Testament.
This list was not kept for family pride. A man's right to serve at the altar depended on proving who his father was.
Once Israel was in the land, it mattered that the people kept their genealogies. The law required it, because each of the children of Israel was to enjoy the inheritance of his fathers. The inheritance must not move from tribe to tribe. Only the sons of Aaron could serve as priests, so they had to keep their genealogy. On the return from exile some could not show their descent from Aaron, and they lost their place in the priesthood.
With no king on the throne, the nation measured its years by another line. Jaddua, the last name here, appears in history outside the Bible as well:
From now on the Jewish people no longer dated their history by the reigns of kings. They dated it by the succession of the high priests. Jaddua is unquestionably the same man mentioned by Josephus, the Jewish historian. In his high priestly robes he met Alexander the Great as he besieged Jerusalem, and was the means of saving Jerusalem.
Jaddua held office long after Nehemiah died. So how did his name reach the end of this list?
He carried out his duties under the reign of Darius the Persian (336–330 B.C.). Additions like this appear often in the historical and prophetic books. Someone added this passage to the book of Nehemiah later, to complete the information the sacred writer gave. It is inspired like all the rest.
Gaebelein agrees. He says the Spirit of God sanctioned the addition, so that Jaddua's descent would be kept on record.
The list is honest about what it records. The men at its end are not its best.
In verses 10, 11 we have the succession of high priests from Jeshua to Jaddua. The history in the book does not carry us later than the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes Longimanus. It ends with the high priesthood of faithless Eliashib, and of the unworthy son of his son Joiada. It is a short record of humbling ways. It runs down to the last high priest that Old Testament Scripture mentions.
Even so, the register exists because God wanted it to. The point of these verses is not only information but honour.
Here we have little to remark on. The Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. The special purpose appears to be connection. It ties the priests and Levites of Nehemiah's and Ezra's day to those who first returned from the captivity, and to the generation in between. He has been a dwelling place for His own in all generations. But there is more. He honours those who honour Him, and He records their names in His word now, just as He will glorify them in person in the great day that is coming quickly.
- Recorded — The Lord takes pleasure in writing down even the names of His servants. One day He will glorify the people whose names He has kept.
- Required — Descent was not a small matter for a priest. The priesthood belonged to Aaron's sons, and men who could not prove their line lost their place.
- Reckoned — With no king, the nation dated its years by the high priests. This list carries that line down to Jaddua, the last priest named in the Old Testament.
- Reaching further — Jaddua lived long after Nehemiah, so his name came into the list later. Commentators say the Spirit of God sanctioned that addition, to complete the record.
- Realistic — The same list that honours the faithful names the faithless. It runs from Jeshua's return down through Eliashib, a humbling account that God did not edit out.
And in the days of Joiakim were priests, chief fathers of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
The list moves forward one generation here. It now names the heads of the priestly families in the days of Joiakim. The names change, but the houses stay the same. So why does God keep such a list at all?
The wording is unusual: a house name, then a man's name. It is not a copying slip.
Then we have mention of the next generation, which accounts for "of" or "for" each of these persons, priests, chief fathers.
So Meraiah stands for the house of Seraiah, Hananiah for the house of Jeremiah, and so on down the list. Joiakim himself held his place the same way, and the register runs on down his line.
Verses 12-21 record the names of the chief fathers (priests) in the days of Joiakim. Joiakim was the son of Jeshua. Verse 22 then records the heads of the fathers' houses in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, and the priests as well, down to the reign of Darius the Persian. Compare that with verses 10 and 11, and we find that this goes five generations down from Jeshua. In other words, these names are the high-priestly line of descent to the fifth generation from Jeshua.
A page of unfamiliar names can look like filler.
There is little to say here, except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. The point seems to be to link the priests and Levites of Nehemiah and Ezra's day with those who first returned from captivity, and with the generation in between. He has been a dwelling place for His own in every generation. More than that, He honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, and He will glorify them in the great day that is coming fast.
Lists like this one appear elsewhere in Scripture.
May we not say that Numbers 7 is one of those sample pages from the book of eternity, where the finger of God has engraved the names of His servants and the record of their work? We believe it is. Turn to 2 Samuel 23 and Romans 16, and you will find two more pages like it. The first gives the names and deeds of David's mighty men; the second, the names and deeds of Paul's friends in Rome. In both we see what we are sure is true of all God's people and all the servants of Christ, from first to last. Each one has his own special place on the roll, and each one his place in the Master's heart.
The setting matters. These men served in a low season for Israel.
It is worth noting that the thanksgiving did not fail in that day of shame and small things, and neither did the watches. They kept careful order for God's glory.
Keeping that order cost them something, because so much had been lost. God did not overlook it.
It seems that God had a special delight in those who served His house in this time of sorrow. It took more faith and more spiritual energy then to give themselves to the interests of His people. He has had these names written down. They were written mainly for Israel, no doubt, yet they hold lessons for us who live in similar times.
Not every man named here served well to the end. Yet the register itself carries no accusation.
It is true that there was failure, very sad failure, with some who are named here. God is never indifferent to the failure of His people. Yet in His eyes these men were clothed with the beauty that His own grace had put on them. In keeping their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in this sad time of their low estate.
- Generation. The "of Seraiah, Meraiah" pattern shows the next generation stepping into their fathers' houses. They took up the service; they did not drop it.
- Recorded. God takes pleasure in writing down even the names of His servants. The list ties the men of Nehemiah's day back to those who first came home.
- Small days. Thanksgiving and the watches did not fail in a day of shame and small things. God delights in those who serve His house when it costs faith.
- Robed. Some of these men failed. God still keeps the record of their service and clothes them in the beauty His grace has given.
- Rewarded. The names He writes in His word now belong to those He will glorify in the coming day. Every servant has his own place on the roll and in the Master's heart.
of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;
Nehemiah 12:13 sits inside a long roll of names — priestly households listed by father and by the son who followed him. A verse like this can look like filler. Yet it raises a real question: why does God keep a register of men most readers will never hear of again?
The chapter opens with the priests and Levites who came back from exile, then moves down a generation. Verse 13 belongs to that second list.
The first 26 verses give further genealogical records, going back to the days of Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priest.
The repeated "of" ties the two lists together. Ezra and Amariah stood in the earlier list. Meshullam and Jehohanan now take their places.
Here the writer names the next generation. That is what the "of" — or "for" — before each of these men means, these priests and chief fathers.
For Israel these lists were legal documents. They settled what a man inherited and whether he could serve at all.
It was important to keep the genealogies, because the law said that every man in Israel should enjoy the inheritance of his fathers. The inheritance must not move from one tribe to another. And since only the sons of Aaron could be priests, it was essential for them to keep their family line on record. When the people came back from exile, some could not show their descent from Aaron, and they were put out of the priesthood. Ezra 2:62.
So a name in this chapter is a title deed. Meshullam has a place at the altar because he can show that Ezra was his father.
These were not Israel's glory days. One writer sees God's pleasure resting on the servants of that very moment.
It seems as if God took special delight in those who served His house in this time of sorrow. Serving the interests of His people then took more faith and more spiritual energy. He has had these names recorded — recorded, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet they carry lessons for us, who live in times like theirs.
Some of the men on this roll did not finish well. The same writer faces that, and still finds grace in the record.
True, there was failure, very sad failure, in some of those named here. But God is never blind to the failure of His people, and still He saw them clothed in the beauty that His own grace had put on them. In keeping their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in that sorrowful time when they were so low.
The list makes no distinction between a famous house and an unknown one. Ezra's son and Amariah's son stand there with the same weight.
It is good to serve the Lord in the place He gives each one, and to serve so that His glory is shown. And it is full of cheer to know that He remembers each one, and would have no one forget even the least person who serves Him.
The keeping of records did not end with Nehemiah.
Any sacrifice made, or service given, for God's work and interests is not forgotten. Instead, it is recorded before Him… Malachi tells us that in his day "a book of remembrance was written" before the Lord, "for those who feared the Lord, and who thought about His name." That book was not peculiar to Malachi's day. It existed in Nehemiah's day, and exists in our day too. Let us not forget that!
Who the book is for matters as much as what is in it.
They feared the Lord, and the Lord remembered them. They thought upon His name, and He will not forget their names. But it was "before Him" the book was written, not before the world.
- Register. Verse 13 names priestly heads of the next generation — sons who took up the places their fathers held.
- Right. Genealogy guarded inheritance and altar alike: without proof of descent from Aaron, a man was put out of the priesthood.
- Remnant. God takes special delight in those who serve His house in a time of sorrow, when service costs more faith.
- Robed. Some on the list failed, yet He keeps their names and remembers the service, not the failure.
- Remembrance. The same book is still open — every service rendered is written before Him, not before the world.
of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;
Nehemiah 12:14 is one line in a long list of names. It gives two priestly families, each with the man who led it in the next generation. Why does Scripture keep names like these at all? These men did nothing famous, in a small and struggling community.
The verse sits inside a block of names from one man's day.
Verses 12-21 record the names of the heads of the priestly families in the days of Joiakim. Joiakim was the son of Jeshua.
So this list is not the generation that first came back from captivity. It is the one after them, serving in the same house of God.
The small word "of" is doing real work here.
Then we come to the next generation. That is what the "of" or "for" before each of these men — the priests, the heads of the families — is doing there.
"Of Malluchi, Jonathan" therefore means Jonathan heading the house that Malluchi had headed. The first name has already appeared earlier in the chapter:
Priest mentioned in Neh. 12:14. Apparently the same as MALLUCH in Neh. 12:2.
(Older translations spell the name Melicu; the ESV reads "Malluchi.") The second half of the verse follows the same pattern. Joseph now stands in the house of Shebaniah. The work did not die with the men who began it.
A page of names can look like filler. One writer reads it the other way.
There is little to say here, except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. The aim seems to be to link the priests and Levites of the days of Nehemiah and Ezra with those who first returned from captivity, and with the generation in between. He has not only been a dwelling place for His own in every generation. He also honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, and He will glorify their persons in the great day that is coming quickly.
So the list does more than keep records. It binds three sets of servants into one line: those who first came back, the generation of this verse, and the men who served with Nehemiah and Ezra. And it points to a day of public honour still ahead.
These priests served at a low point in the nation's life.
It seems that God took a special delight in those who served His house in this time of sorrow. It then took more faith and more spiritual energy to give yourself to the interests of His people. He has had these names written down — written down, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet they hold lessons for us, who live in times like theirs. It is true that there was failure, very sad failure, in some who are named here. But God is never indifferent to the failure of His people, and yet He saw them clothed in the beauty His own grace had put on them. In keeping their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in this sad time, when they had sunk so low.
God sees the failures of the men on this list. Yet when He writes their names down, He puts their service on permanent record.
The names in this verse mean nothing to us now. One writer turns that on the reader.
It deeply sobers the soul to be allowed to read through a record of names that people forgot long ago. God has remembered every one of them, and every detail of their path through this world. One day our own names will be lost to mankind too. But God will not forget us or our ways.
- Linked. The small word "of" ties two generations together. Jonathan now heads the house Malluchi once headed.
- Continued. Jonathan and Joseph stepped into houses their fathers had led. The work of the first generation went on after them.
- Recorded. The Lord takes pleasure in writing down even the names of His servants. The list ties the first returners to the men who served with Nehemiah and Ezra.
- Covered. Some on this list failed, and failed sadly. Yet in keeping their names, God remembered their service in a hard day.
- Rewarded. God honours those who honour Him. He records their names now, and He will glorify them in the day that is coming.
of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;
This verse is one line in a long list. It names two men: Adna, head of the priestly house of Harim, and Helkai, head of the house of Meraioth. The list gives the heads of priestly families a generation after the return from captivity. Why does God keep such names on record, and what does the short "of ..." wording mean?
Nehemiah 12 opens with a register. One high priest's name dates the block of names that holds this verse.
Verses 12-21 record the names of the heads of the fathers' houses (the priests) in the days of Joiakim. Joiakim was the son of Jeshua.
Another writer sets the same block beside the Levites' roster that follows it, and notes one line in the chapter that reaches much later than Nehemiah's own lifetime.
The heads of the priestly houses in the time of Joiakim (the son of Jeshua, verse 10) are here recorded, as well as the heads of the Levitical houses. The sentence, "also the priests, in the reign of Darius the Persian" (Darius Codomannus 336-331), was probably added later, under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Further comment on the recorded names is not needed.
The little word "of" is doing real work here. It marks a move to the next generation.
Then we have mention of the next generation, which accounts for "of" or "for" each of these persons, priests, chief fathers.
A dictionary of Bible names states which of the second pair came first:
Meraioth. Ancestor of Helkai, a priest in the days of Joiakim.
Lists like this were not decoration. The people who came back from captivity checked family lines, and they were strictest about the priests.
They are very careful to check the family records of the people and of the priests, so that no one but Israel would share in the work. In earlier days one priest followed another with no examination first. No one checked the family line, and children stepped into their father's place and enjoyed the privileges God had given them. But now, by God's great grace, Israel had to recover their position. This was not the beginning of their history, and it was not the power that suited a beginning. It was a return, and from now on they were not to put up with the disorder that sin had brought in.
Record-keeping is not the whole story. One writer points to God's own pleasure in such a list, and to a coming day for the men in it.
There is little to say here, except that the Lord takes pleasure in writing down even the names of His servants. The aim seems to be to link the priests and Levites in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra with those who first returned from captivity, and with the generation in between. He has been a dwelling place for His own in every generation. More than that, He honours those who honour Him. He writes their names in His word now, and He will glorify their persons in the great day that is coming quickly.
Adna and Helkai served in a time of sorrow, and that is part of why they are remembered. Notice too what God leaves out of the record.
It seems as if God took a special delight in those who were busy in the service of His house in this time of sorrow. In those days it took more faith and more spiritual energy to give yourself to the interests of His people. He has had these names written down — written down, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet they hold lessons for us, who live in times like theirs. It is true that there was failure, very sad failure, in some who are named here. But in God's eyes they wore the beauty that He in His own grace had put on them, even though He is never indifferent to the failure of His people. By keeping their names, He would remember nothing but their service among His people in this sad time, when they were brought so low.
- Recorded when. This line sits in the register of priestly family heads in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua.
- Recorded how. The word "of" marks the next generation: Adna stands for the house of Harim, and Helkai for Meraioth, his ancestor.
- Recorded why. The returned people checked the priests' family lines. No one now stepped into his father's place without examination.
- Recorded by whom. The Lord takes pleasure in writing down even the names of His servants, honouring those who honour Him.
- Recorded for what. He noted their service in a day of sorrow and failure, and He will glorify their persons in the day that is coming.
of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;
This verse sits in the middle of a roll call of priestly families. It gives two names and nothing else. So why did God keep a staff list from a small, struggling community? And what is in it for a reader who has no stake in these families?
The names in verses 12–21 are not a second copy of the names in verses 1–7. They are the sons. This is the generation that took over after the first returnees died. One writer explains the grammar that makes this clear:
Then we have mention of the next generation, which accounts for "of" or "for" each of these persons, priests, chief fathers.
So Iddo came up from Babylon (v. 4); Zechariah stood in his place a generation on. Another writer dates the list:
Here we have the heads of the priestly houses in the time of Joiakim (the son of Jeshua, verse 10), and also the heads of the Levitical houses.
The first name here may not belong to a stranger. One writer ties it to the prophet Zechariah:
Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the man the text speaks of as it stands, was the grandson of Iddo, and he is twice called "son of Iddo." (Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14.) Iddo, too, was a priest, who came up from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Neh. 12:4.) And in verse 16 of that chapter we read, "Of Iddo, Zechariah."
If that is right, this half-line names a prophet. Ezra 6:14 says the elders "prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo." The link is offered as likely, not as proven.
The main lesson here is not in any single name. It is in the fact that the list was kept at all.
Here we have little to say, except that the Lord takes pleasure in recording even the names of His servants. The special purpose seems to be to link the priests and Levites in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra with those who first returned from the captivity, and with the generation in between. It is not only that He has been a dwelling place for His own in all generations. He also honours those who honour Him. He records their names in His word now, just as He will glorify their persons in the great day that is hurrying on.
The timing matters too. Serving God's house in that day cost more than it had in better years:
It seems as if God took a special delight in those who were busy in the service of His house in this time of sorrow. It called for more faith and more spiritual energy then to give yourself to the interests of His people. He has had these names written down — written down, no doubt, mainly for Israel, yet they carry lessons for us, whose lot falls in similar times.
This is not a list of perfect men:
It is true that there was failure, very sad failure, in some of those named here. God is never blind to the failure of His people. Yet in His eyes they were clothed with the beauty that His own grace had put on them. In keeping their names, He would remember nothing but the fact of their service among His people in this sad time, when they were brought so low.
Meshullam's name carries no story at all. That is the point:
It is good to serve the Lord in the place He gives to each one, and to serve so that His glory is shown. And it is a great cheer to know that He remembers each one, and that He would have no one forget even the least of those who serve Him.
- Recorded. The "of X, Y" pattern marks the sons of the first returnees. A second generation stood at their fathers' post.
- Remembered. God takes pleasure in writing down the names of His servants. The list exists because He honours those who honour Him.
- Rewarded. Service cost more in a day of sorrow. That is the service He kept on record.
- Re-clothed. Some of these men failed later. The record keeps only their service. Grace clothed them in a beauty of His giving.
- Reachable. Zechariah here may be the prophet; Meshullam is only a name. God kept both, so He overlooks no one in a small post.