Nehemiah 12
TLBCNehemiah 12:27-43
The Dedication of the Wall (12:27-43) The presence of both the third and the first person pronouns indicates that once again the historian had recourse to the original memoirs of Nehemiah, combining with them another account of the dedication of the newly restored walls of Jerusalem. It is likely that the event here recorded took place soon after the actual completion of the work. The description is of a careful and solemn dedication service and includes an assembly of the people from the surrounding districts, sacrifices of purification, a procession of two companies moving in opposite directions around the city using the broad top of the wall as a walkway, and stated occasions of praise and thanksgiving. In the account Nehemiah is placed in one company and Ezra either at the head of the other company or leading one of its groups. The ceremony is concluded in the Temple with sacrifices and “great joy.” The last line of verse 43 is undoubtedly a reference to the loud sound of the ceremony but also reminds one of the prophetic promises concerning the restoration of Jerusalem and its benefits for all nations.
Nehemiah 12:44-13
The Worship in the Temple (12:44-13:3) This short section includes two matters. The first is the description of the service of the Levites and especially of the various measures for the popular support of Temple worship, “On that day” is not meant to identify this material with the immediately preceding day of dedication; rather it is a general expression for an indeterminate time. The rather strange term “according to the fields of the towns” may refer to the manner or the order of collecting the means of support. The mention of Nehemiah indicates that here the editor was not using the memoir of Nehemiah as his source. His purpose seems to have been to draw a picture of ideal worship in an ideal community.
This same ideal character carries over into the second part (Nehemiah 13:1-3), where the purity of the religious community is stressed (“the assembly of God” probably refers to the actual religious services). The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22-24, although the law which was “read from the book of Moses” must have been Deuteronomy 23:3.