Matthew Henry on Nehemiah 12:1-26
We have here the names, and little more than the names, of a great many priests and Levites, that were eminent in their day among the returned Jews. Why this register should be here inserted by Nehemiah does not appear, perhaps to keep in remembrance those good men, that posterity might know to whom they were beholden, under God, for the happy revival and re-establishment of their religion among them. Thus must we contribute towards the performance of that promise, Psa 112:6, The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. Let the memory of the just be blessed, be perpetuated. It is a debt we still owe to faithful ministers to remember our guides, who have spoken to us the word of God, He…
Read the whole note in the consoleJamieson-Fausset-Brown on Nehemiah 12:12
in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers--As there had been priests in the days of Jeshua, so in the time of Joiakim, the son and successor of Jeshua, the sons of those persons filled the priestly office in the place of their fathers, some of whom were still alive, though many were dead.
Adam Clarke on Nehemiah 12:22
Jaddua - This was probably the high priest who went in his pontifical robes, accompanied by his brethren, to meet Alexander the Great, when he was advancing towards Jerusalem, with the purpose to destroy it, after having conquered Tyre and Gaza. Alexander was so struck with the appearance of the priest, that he forbore all hostilities against Jerusalem, prostrated himself before Jaddua, worshipped the Lord at the temple, and granted many privileges to the Jews. See Josephus, Ant. lib. xi., c. 3, and Prideaux's Connections, lib. 7, p. 695.
To the reign of Darius the Persian - Calmet maintains that this must have been Darius Codomanus, who was defeated by Alexander the Great: but Archbishop Us…
Read the whole note in the consoleJohn Gill on Nehemiah 12:22
The Levites, in the days of Eliashib,.... The third priest of the second temple:
Joiada; he was the son of Eliashib, and the fourth high priest:
and Johanan; the same with Jonathan, Nehemiah 12:11 and whom Josephus (o) also calls Joannes:
and Jaddua; the same as in Nehemiah 12:10 in the days of each of these were
recorded chief of the fathers; the principal men among the Levites:
also the priests, to the reign of Darius the Persian; thought to be Darius Codomannus, the last king of the Persian monarchy, whom Alexander conquered; and if so, this verse must be inserted after the death of Nehemiah, and as the next verse also seems to be; for these two verses interrupt the natural order of…
