Explore the Bible Online

Nehemiah 12:12-21

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

12. And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13. Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14. Of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15. Of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16. Of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17. Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18. Of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19. And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20. Of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21. Of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

Nehemiah 12:12-21 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Nehemiah 12:12

Theological / Devotional

Jonathan. Either an alternate name for Johanan (see vs. 22, 23) or the result of a copyist’s error. Johanan is confirmed by the Elephantine papyri as high priest in 410 B.C. (see pp. 80, 372), probably also in 407, when the papyri containing his name were written.

Josephus, who speaks of him as Jannaeus (John), says that he murdered his own brother, Jesus (Jeshua, or Joshua), in the Temple, when Jeshua attempted to wrest the high priesthood from him through the influence of the Persians. This in turn gave Bagoas, the general of Artaxerxes II (Mnemon), an opportunity to take severe measures against the Jews (Antiquities xi. 7. 1). This information may be correct, for the Elephantine papyri give the name of the Persian governor in Johanan’s time as Bigvai, the Persian equivalent of the Greek Bagoas or Bagoses.

Jaddua. See p. 372. Unless this list omits a generation or two (see on v. 1), the Jaddua of Alexander’s days mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities xi 8. 4, 5) was probably another individual, possibly a son or grandson of this Jaddua.

By SdaBc