a i. e, The chief of the Prieft:, as they arc called here, wv. 7. To wit, the heads of tioſe twenty four courſes which Dzv/d appointed by Divine Direction, r Crone 24. And whereas there are twenty four and here but rwenty two, and v- 12, &c.only Twenty, the reaſon ofthis vifference may potlibly be this, becauſe Two of the twenty four cou: ies were extinct in Babylon, or at Iealt none of them was then returned ; and two of the Perſons here named, wv. 2, 5.to wir, Hattuſh, and Maca1ah, may be omirtcd in the account of rhe Poſte- rity of theſe perſons, v: 12, &c- tecaute they had no Poſteri:y. Poffibly theſe were not the tame couries. waich David had ap- pointed, but others which Zerubbabel and Jrijhua had conſtituted in imitation of that Order as far as they could. 6 Either this was ano- ther Ezra. or ifit were the ſame menticned Ezra 7. he lived to a great Age ; which may well be ſuppoſed conſidering his great So- bri-ty,and Abſtinence from thoſe Evil Prattices which ſhorten Mens Lives, and his great Picty to which Go? promiſed long Life, and
vithal the ſpecial Providencezof God continuing him fo long in ſuch a {cafon, waerein the Church of God did greatly necd his help and counſe].
* 093 UI Loa 23 = Þ va tb
2 ©
Malltch c, Hattulh,
- © In the Repetition of this and ſome other Mens names hereafter v. 14. &c, There are ſome ſmall Variations,which are very frequent in that Language,
2 [| Shechaniab, || Rekum, || Meremoth,
d4 The Progcnitor of 7::n the Baptiſt, Luke 7. 5.
5 || Miamin, || Maadiah, bilgah,
6 Shemajahl, and Jojarib, and Jedayjah,
7 || Sailu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedajah : theſe were the
C:-fa, chiek of the prictts, and of their brethren e inthe days "2, v.16. of Jeſhua.
I Moadis ette. Of the Pricſts, who were thor Brethren. Rn, : "V! 17, $8 Morcover the Levites : Jeſhua Binnui, Kadmiel,
' Sherebiah, Judah, «ad Mattaniah, which was over ||
| thar is, the thankſ-iving, Be and his brethren. Paims 9 Alſo Bakbukiah,
-RTKSIS
and Unni, their brethren were
e watches f.
Over againfr them 1n th ;. 2. Ia the places where they were appointed To ftand, and
of Which ſee 1 Chron: 25:
Eliaſhib þ, and Elialbib begat Jojd,
g Here follows a Catalogue of the Jewiſh }T:oh Prieſts ; which vas the more necefſiry; b-cauſe their times were now to be mea» ſured, not by the years of their Kings as formerly, bur by their
High Pricits. þ Of whom ſee Nehem 3. 1. & 13: 4,5. :
[1 And jojada begat 7onuthan, and Jonatizan begat Jaddua 7. _ # Generally ſuppoſed to be the ſame Man who was High Pric{t inthe days of Alexander the Great; as Joſephus mentions ; whence a great DNithculty ariſeth,how Nehemiah could mention t..is Man,wio tcvems not to have been high Prieſt ti}l many years after Nebem: ah's deata. Burt it ſeems not neceflary that this Jaduva ſhould be the ſame Perſon, for he might be the Father of-that Jadaua, both be. ing called by theſame name, Or,if he were the ſame, the Bleſſing of a very long Life might be given to this great and exceilent Go- vernour, as itwas to Ezr2, that famous Scribe, as was noted on v. L andthar for the very fame reaſon. He might aiſo live to ſee Jad. ara, though not to fce him High Prieſt which might be many years after- Or this patſage might be put into this Book by ſome ſacred or inſpired Pen-man, there being ſome,though but few,ſuch pallages in the foregoing Books of Scripture, which were added by ſucceeding Men of God 1n atrer-times
12 And in the days of Jojakim were prieſts &, the
chief of the fathers : of Serajah,Merajah,; of Jeremiah,
Hananiah. '
& As their fathers were prieſts in the days of Toffis, ſo in the days of Jojokimn the lon of Joſhua, the ſons of thoſe Perſons exccu- ted the Prieſthood in their Fathers fteads, ſome of their Fathers probably being yet living, and many of them now dead.-
13 Of Ezra, Meſhullam : of Amariah, Jehohanan:
14 Of Melicu, Jonathan : of Shebaniah, Joſeph :
15 Of Harim, Adna : of Merajath, Helkai : |
16 Of Iddo, Zechariah, of Ginnethon, Meſhullam,
17 Of Abijab, Zichri : of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai :
18 Of Bilgah, Shammua : of Shemajah, Jehohanan :
19 And of Jojarib, Mattenai : of Jedajah, Uzzi :
20 Of Sallai, Kallai : of Amok, Eber :
21 Of Hilkia, Haſbabiah : of Jedaja, Nathaneel.
22 The Levites in the day of Eliaſhib, Jojada, and Johanan,and Jaddua,were recorded chief of the fathers: alſo the prieſts, to the reign of Darius / the Perſian,
[ Either Darius Codomanuts, and then what was faid concerning Jadaua, v. 11. muſt be in part rep-ated and applied here : or,Darius Nehus ; and fo this Jaddua might be father ro him who was in the days of Darius Codomanus, and of Al-xander the Great. |
23 The ſons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, werg written in the Book of the * Chronicles w, even until the days of Johanan the fon of Eliathib.
mM ie e In the publick Annals or Regiiters, in which the Genea- logies of the ſeveral Families were fer down by the Jews with great exactneis, as all perions agree,
24 And the chiet of the Levites: Haſbabiah, She- rebiah, and Jejhua the ſon of Kadmiel, with their bre-
26 Theſe were in che days of Jojakim, the ſon-.of Jeſhua, the fon of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehe- miah the governour ; and of Ezra the prieſt, the ſcribe.
27 And at the dedication of the wail p of Jerufaiem they ſought the Levites out of all their piaces 9,to bring them to Jeruſalem, to keep the dedication with glad- neſs, both with thankigivings and with ſinging with cymbals, pſa't.r'es, and with hips. |
And of the Gates which are mentioned v. 39. and of the City it ſelf within the Gates ; which is here dedicated to God and to his Honour and Service, not only upon a general account, by which we ought todevote our {clves,and al! that 1s ours,to God ;Þut npon a more ſpecial ground,becaulz this was 2 place which God himfelt had choſen, and fa-Eified by his Temple and gracious Preſence,and therefore did of right beloag to him ; whence it is oft called-+he holy City, as hath been obſerved b-tores God by this Dedication, withal imploring the Preſence.and Favour, ard Bleſſing of God to this City by folcmn Prayers and Praiſes,
and Sacrifices,, wherewith rhis Devication was accompanied» Sce ' Deut; 20; 5. 1 Kings 8: 63. Ezra 6; 17. Pfal: 30. title. q To which they were now retired «fter that great and generel Aſſembly, c#:8
9. & 10. :
28 And the ſons of the ſingers gathered themſelves ' together, both out of the plain country round about Jeruſalem, and from the villages of Netophathi.