The Pulpit Commentary — Nehemiah — Section 121

EXPOSITION. below, in ver. 14 ; but the reading of "Mal- CHAPTER XII. luch" is confirmed by eh. x. 4. Hattush. LIST OF THE LEVITICAL Al\'1> PRIESTLY It is curious that Hattush is omitted from FAMILIES WRICH l!ETUlt..'sED FROM BAIIYLON the third list (infra, vers. 12-21). He '\'\"ITH ZERUBB.A..BEL (eh. rii 1-9). This appears, however, in the first (eh. x. 4), as well as here. list receives elucidation and, to some extent, Ver. 3.-Shechaniah. Rather, "Sheba- correction from two others :-1. That of the uiah," as the name is given in eh. x. 4 and priestly families whose seals were set to the xii 14. Rehnm. Rather, "Harurr," which covenant (eh. L 2-8); and, 2. That of the is found in ver. 15, and also in eh. x. 5. heads of the priestly courses under the high Compare, moreover, Ezra ii. 39; Neh. vii. 42. llrleremoth is probably correct, though priest Joia.ki.m (eh. rii 12-21). The num- altered to Meraioth in ver. 15, since we find ber of the names in each of the three lists is Meremoth in eh. x. 5. almost exactly the same (twenty- two or Ver. 4.-Iddo is probably correct, rather twenty-one); the names are for the most part than "Obadiah," which we find after Mere- the same ; and they a.re given nearly in the moth in eh. L 5, since "Iddo" recurs in ver. 16. Ginnetho. Rather, "Ginnethon" same order. That they are the names of (see eh. x. 6; xii. 16). Abijah. This would families appears most distinctly from the seem to be the course to which Zacharias, third list (eh. xii 12-21). the father of John the Baptist, belonged (Luke i. 5). Ver. 1.-Zernbbabel, the son of Shealtiel. Ver. 5.-llrliamin is confirmed by eh. x. See the comment on Ezra iii. 2. Jeshua. 7, and is therefore to be preferred to the The high priest of Zerubbabel's time. Seraiah. "Miniamin" of ver. 17. llrlaadiah, "Moa- Compare eh. xi. 11 with the comment on diah" (ver. 17), and "Maaziah" (eh. x. 8) that place. The original Seraiah was the are not so much different names as different high priest murdered by Nebuchadnezzar ways of spelling the same name. The same (2 Kings xxv. 18-21). .Jeremiah and Ezra., may be said of Bilgah and "Bilgai" (eh. who gave name to the second and third x. 8). course, must not be regarded as the prophet Ver. 6.-And .Joiarib. The introduction or the scribe so named, but as persons of of the conjunction "and" here, and hero whom nothing more is known to us. only, in this list separates off very markedly Yer 2. -llrlalluch is called "Melicu" the lallt six names from the first sixteen. A Cl!. XII. 1-2G.] THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. 127 ---------- · - - - - similar di vision is made in ver. 10. The high priesthood may be assigne,l to the reason for the division seems to be that these period between B.C. 420 and 380; Jonathan's last six courses, though including some of to that between B.c. 380 and 350. Jad,l,rn the very highest priestly families, as those of Joiarib and Jedai11h (1 Chron. xxiv. 7; might then hold the dignity from B.c. 350 Ezra ii. 36; Neh. vii. 39; xi. 10), for some to 330, or later, ana so be brought into con- reason or other, did not seal to the covenant, tact with Alexander the Great. It is ques- whereas the other sixteen courses did so. tioned whether in that case Nehemiah can J'ede.iah. The double occurrence of this name have written the present passage, and certain (in vers, 6 e.nd 7) would ne.ture.lly raise a suspicion of corruption ; but the two J eda- that he cannot have done so unless he lived iahs are confirmed by vers. 19, 21. to be at least 131 years of age. As this is Ver. 7.-These were the chief, &c. It exceedingly improbable, it is best to sup- may be suspected the.t this is proper!y the pose, either that the whole list was placed heading of another list, parallel to that in here by Malachi, or at any rate that that vers. 12-21, which gave the names of the actual heads of the courses in J eshua' s time. prophet added the clanse, "and Jonathan Ver. 8.-Moreover the Levites: J'eshua, begat Jaddua." Jlinnni, Xadmiel, &c. Here again families are probably intended, as in Ezra ii. 40; iii. Ver. 10.-J'eshua. The "Jeshua" of ver. 9; Neh. ix. 4, 5, &c., though it is possible 1, not of ver. 8-the high priest of Zerub- that the founders of the families actually babel's time (Ezra iii. 2, 8 ; iv. 3 ; v. 2, &c.). returned with Zeruhbe.bel Jeshua, Binnui, llegat J' oiakim. The high priesthood of and Kadmiel appear as the leading Levitical J oiakim falls into the interval between the families e.t the sealing of the covenant (eh. first part (chs. i.-vii.) and the second part x. 9). On Mattaniah see the comment upon (chs. vii.-x.) of Ezra. He is only men- eh. xi. 17. tioned in this chapter (vers. 12, 26). Eliashib Ver. 9. -Bakbukiah and Unni Bak- is first mentioned in Ezra x:. 6, but he does oukiah's position with respect to Mattaniah not appear as high priest until after N ehe- has been already mentioned (eh. xi. 17). miah reaches Jerusalem (Neh. iii. 1). On "Unni" appears, in this place only, as a his close connection with Tobiah see eh. Levite of Zerubbabel's time. Were over xiii. 4, 5, 28. J'oiada is called Judas by against them in the watches. I. e. "min- Josephus (' Ant. Jnd. ,' xi. 7, § 1). ms istered in their courses, as the others did, term of office lasted, according to Syncellus and kept their stations over against them in and the Paschal Chronicle, thirty-six years. their turns of attendance, which are called Ver. 11.-J'onathan, or "Johanan," as their 'watches' or wards" (Bp. Fe.trick). the name is given in vers. 22, 23, became high priest about B.c. 380, according to LIST OF TEE HIGH PRIESTS FROM JESEUA Syncellus e.nd the Paschal Chronicle, and TO JADDUA (eh. xii. 10, 11). That this is held the office for thirty-two years. Josephus, who calls him "Je.nnrew" (=John), says the line of descent in the high priestly that he murdered his own brother, Jeshua, family of the time sufficiently appears both in the temple, because he was endeavouring from the names themselves, and from the to supplant him in the high priesthood position assigned to those who bore them through the influence of the Persians. in vers. 22, 23, 26. Whether all of them J'addna is mentioned as high priest o.t the time of Alexander's entrance into Jerusalem actually exercised the high priest's office is by Josephus (' Ant. Jud.,' xi. 8, § 5) and left uncertain in Scripture, but satisfactorily Ewebi us (' Chron. Can.,' ii. p. 346). The established by Josephus. The six names story of Alexander's having previously seen cover a space of at least 205 years-from the him in a dream is not generally credited. conquest of Babylon by Cyrus, D.C. 538, to He is snid to been high priest for twenty years, and to have outlived Alexander. the submission of Jerusalem to Alexander the Great, B.c. 333, which gives very long LIST OF THE HEADS OF TEE PRIESTLY generations, but still such e.s a.re historic- COURSES IN TEE TIME OF TEE HIGH PRIESl' ally possible. Jeshua we.a certainly high JoIAKIM (eh. xii. 12-21). Joiakim must priest from B.c. 538 to B.C. 616. He me.y have been contemporary with Xerxes, o.nd have been succeeded by his son, Joio.kim, consequently have been high priest at the about B.c. 490. Joie.kim had certainly been time when the very existence of the Jewish succeeded by his son, Elie.shib, before D. c. people was threatened by Haman. It ig '44 (Noh. iii. 1); e.nd Elio.shib was probably curious that we have no record of his high succeeded hy Joittdn ubout n.c. 420. Joiada's priesthood, nor of the condition of the  128 THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH. [CH, XII. 1-26.