Neh 12.1-26 gives us a list of the chief priests and the Levites who came up from the captivity with Zerubbabel. In Neh 12.4 for instance we learn about Iddo, and he is the grandfather of Zechariah the prophet, who was a priest. In Neh 12.11 we have a man named Jaddua (known) and his grandson Shimon was the High Priest when Alexander the Great came into the land to destroy the city and the Temple. He was engaged at Tyre and demanded men and supplies from the Jews. But the high priest delayed saying that they were still under the rule of Alexander’s enemy King Darius. This infuriated Alexander and he began to move against Jerusalem. When Alexander saw Shimon in the vestments of the high priest he prostrated before him and said, “That is no mere Jew, that is this face of the angel I see every time were are victorious in battle” (Talmud, Yoma 69a). Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews, Book 11, Chapter 8, Sec 5, the Whiston translation, has more on this incident. Shimon also showed Alexander the prophecies of Daniel and the verses that referred to Alexander. This also confirms the fact that Daniel was written before Alexander was born, or at least by the time of the first century. But it is an interesting story.
In Neh 12.16 we have the prophet Zechariah mentioned. Neh 12.27-30 we learn of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. This is prophetic because in the birth-pains Jerusalem will be destroyed, but Yeshua will rebuild it. The word “dedication” is where we get the word “Chanukah” from We know from Josephus that this occurred in Kislev and it went eight days. This predates the festival of Chanukah and is a picture of it.
Jerusalem had a special “kedusha” on it. The kodshai kodashim (most holy) korbanot was eaten within the Temple, but the kodshai kelim (holy) korbanot was eaten within the walls of Jerusalem.
We also learn that this dedication was celebrated with hymns and songs with the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres. There were schools for the singers who were taught what songs to sing (Neh 7.66-67). The priests and the Levites purified themselves and they purified the people, the gates and the wall with the ashes of the Red Heifer (Parah Adumah-Num 19).
In Neh 12.31-47 we learn that the wall was wide enough to walk on. Nehemiah divided the leaders of Judah into two great choirs and one went to the right and the other went to the left and turned north. Nehemiah brought up the rear. Once this was completed, they met in the Temple and they offered great offerings. In Neh 12.41 we have the name Hananiah. His name was found on a scroll in Egypt. He ruled a province for Persia and was head of religious affairs in Elephantine.
On this day some were appointed over the Chamber of the Treasuries. The korbanot (offerings), first fruits and tithes were gathered by them and stored. The priests and Levites served according to their divisions (courses called “Mishmarot”), along with the singers and gatekeepers. People had been appointed over the singers to instruct them since the days of David and Asaph. Zerubbabel and Nehemiah governed and did their duty, and gave the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the consecrated portions for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated portions for the priests.
Neh 13.1-31 tells us about the reformation of certain abuses that had plagued the people. Nehemiah had returned to Persia as agreed (Neh 2.6, 13.6-7), but he will return after some time, which some believe was anywhere between one to twelve years (v 7). The Torah was read to the people and the people had expelled the Moabites and Ammonites from the assembly, which means they were not permitted to marry an Israelite. They also excluded all foreigners from Israel, and when they found out what to do, they did it according to the Torah (v 1-3).
Neh 13.4-9 tells us that prior to this, Eliashib the high priest was put over the chambers of the Temple, and he was related to Tobiah (Neh 2.10, 6.15-19). He prepared a great room for Tobiah in a chamber that was formerly used to house the grain offerings, frankincense, utensils, the tithes of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.
Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem then because he had gone back to Persia. After asking leave from Artaxerxes, he returned and learned about the evil Eliashib had done by giving Tobiah a room in the Temple, which was a desecration. So Nehemiah ordered that the room be cleansed and he returned the items for the Temple that belonged in there.
Neh 13.10-14 talks about restoring the tithe to the singers and Levites. The people were not giving what was commanded and because of that, the Levites could not serve the people because they had to make a living so they went to their own fields. God was their inheritance and they were not to make a living from the fields. They were to serve Yehovah and the people.
So Nehemiah reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken (by the Levites)?” So he gathered the Levites and singers together and restored them to their posts. He also reorganized the collection of tithes and how they were distributed. He then asked the Lord to remember him (in his Book of Remembrance-Hos 6.10) and to “not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.” He was not asking this in the sense of strict justice as if he earned anything, but in a way of grace and mercy. It was done for God’s honor and wanted the Lord to overlook his faults. Next he is going to confront the priorities of the people.
He saw some foreign merchants in Judah doing things that were not necessary on the Sabbath, like treading wine-presses, bringing in sacks of grain, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and every other type of food. They brought them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath (Jer 17.19-127; Exo 20.9; Amos 8.5; 2 Kings 4.23). There was to be no buying and selling on the Sabbath (Mark 16.1; Luke 23.56) and their animals were not to work on the Sabbath either. In addition, non-Jews who lived there sold fish that was imported to the sons of Israel on the Sabbath, even in Jerusalem (v 15-16).
Nehemiah reprimanded the nobles of Judah for allowing this (v 17). This was not only a personal sin, but if this went uncorrected it would bring on the wrath of Yehovah again. He didn’t just stand by and let this happen, he threatened them with force if this continued. They got the message and did not do this again (v 19-21).
Evidently, during the time Nehemiah was away the people had again taken foreign wives from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. The children couldn’t even speak Hebrew, but the language of Ashdod (v 24). Romance is irrelevant in these cases. Now, there is no provision in the Torah that said an Israelite could not marry people from other nations, but they had to be a part of the faith in that they had to reject paganism and idolatry. Nehemiah seems to ban this altogether and it became the basis for the modern day rabbinical practice in Judaism to develop formal “rites” which permitted an Israelite to marry foreigners.
But the Torah already said an Israelite can marry a woman who rejects paganism and idolatry. A priest cannot marry a divorced woman or one who has been profaned by idolatry, and the high priest cannot marry a divorced woman or a widow, just a Jewish virgin.
Nehemiah contended with them with arguments and reprovals. He assured them that the curse of God would come upon them unless they repented. He even ordered that some of them be beaten with rods and scourged, and he even had their hair plucked to humiliate them (v 23-25). He made them swear that they would not intermarry with them, renewing what they had sworn before in Neh 10.29.
In Neh 13.26-31 Nehemiah reminded them that King Solomon had sinned in this manner (1 Kings 11.3) and he was drawn into idolatry. He was made king and was beloved of Yehovah (this alludes to his name “Yedidiyah”-2 Sam 12.24). And if so great and wise man like Solomon was enticed by idolatrous women, how much more ordinary people. Even the grandson of Eliashib the high priest had become the son-in-law of Sanballat, the enemy of Israel. Nehemiah put him out of the congregation, the altar and the city (called “karet”).
He then purified them from everything foreign and their pagan wives because they had defiled the priesthood, and he appointed priests and Levites to their duties. He also arranged for the supply of wood at the appointed times (Neh 10.34) and for the first fruits.
All of this is a picture of what Yeshua will do when he returns. He will reestablish true worship according to the Torah, set the priesthood and the Levites in order, and destroy paganism from among the people and cleanse the people (Isa 66.18-24; Ezek 40-48; Zech 14.9-21).
Next we will take a further look into Nehemiah and some concepts relating to the Temple and the Temple Mount.
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