They performed the duty of their God, and the duty of the purification, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
Parallel Translations
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They performed the duty of their God, and the duty of the purification, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
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And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
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And they kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, and so did the singers and the porters, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
Cross-references (3)
Passages linked to Nehemiah 12:45 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Chronicles 25:1-26 Moreover, David and the captains of the army set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with harps, with stringed instruments, and with cymbals. The number of those who did the work according to their service was: of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah. The sons of Asaph were under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied at the order of the king. Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Yahweh with the harp. Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these were under the hands of their father for song in Yahweh’s house, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, for the service of God’s house: Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king. The number of them, with their brothers who were instructed in singing to Yahweh, even all who were skillful, was two hundred eighty-eight. They cast lots for their offices, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the student. Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, he and his brothers and sons were twelve; the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve; the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve; for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
- 1 Chronicles 23:28 For their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of Yahweh’s house, in the courts, and in the rooms, and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of God’s house;
- 2 Chronicles 23:6 But let no one come into Yahweh’s house, except the priests and those who minister of the Levites. They shall come in, for they are holy, but all the people shall follow Yahweh’s instructions.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The ward of their God, i.e. that ward, or…
The ward of their God, i.e. that ward, or charge, or business which God had prescribed to them.
And the ward of the purification; and in particular
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the charge of purification, i.e. of taking care that no unclean person or thing might enter into the house or courts of the Lord; which care did certainly belong to the porters, as is expressed, 2Ch 23:19, and at this time, and in some sort, as it seems to the singers, who, besides their proper employment,
were also over the business of the house of God, as is affirmed, Neh 11:22; which being a general expression, may well comprehend, if it doth not principally design this, that they should take care to keep the house of God free from all pollution. And possibly as the porters were to take care that no unclean thing might enter there, so if it should through their inadvertency enter in, the singers were to remove it.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The ward - That ward, or charge, which God…
The ward - That ward, or charge, which God had prescribed to them. And in particular the charge of purification, of taking care that no unclean person or thing should enter into the house or courts of the Lord.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Neh 12:45. Both the singers and the porters kept…
Neh 12:45. Both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God — That ward or charge which God had prescribed them. And, in particular, the charge of purification, of taking care that no unclean person or thing should enter into the house or courts of the Lord. Or, the meaning may be, the singers sung orderly in their courses, as they were appointed, and thereby kept the ward of their God; and the porters kept the ward of the purification, that is, duly observed the orders about it, in preventing the temple from being defiled by any unclean person or thing. According to the commandment of David and of Solomon his son — Who had regulated all things belonging to the duty of these persons.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The ward of the purification - The observances with…
The ward of the purification - The observances with respect to purification. Compare 1Ch 23:28.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Asaph was master of music in the reign of…
Asaph was master of music in the reign of David. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain the singers and the porters kept . . .…
the singers and the porters kept . . . the ward of the purification--that is, took care that no unclean person was allowed to enter within the precincts of the sacred building. This was the official duty of the porters (Ch2 23:19), with whom, owing to the pressure of circumstances, it was deemed expedient that the singers should be associated as assistants.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 45. Kept the ward of their God — Or,…
45. Kept the ward of their God — Or, kept the charge of their God; looked after all the sacred interests committed to their oversight and care. Compare Lev_8:35.
The ward of the purification — The charge of “the purifying of all holy things.” 1Ch_23:28. The rooms and vessels of the temple were to be purified, and called for the special appointment of persons for that work.
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According to the commandment of David — See 2Ch_8:14; and comp. 1 Chronicles 25-26.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 45. And both the singers and the porters kept]…
45. And both the singers and the porters kept] R.V. And they kept … and so did the singers and the porters. The verse, according to the rendering of the R.V. states first that the priests and Levites performed the due ceremonial obligations, and then that the same strict conformity to rule was practised by the singers and porters. The verb ‘kept’ has to be supplied in the second clause.
This is preferable to the suggestion that the second clause is one of a different character, = ‘and the singers and the porters were at their post according to the commandment of David’ &c. The ground for this alternative rendering is the supposition that the singers and porters would not be subject to the same laws of purification.
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kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification] The word rendered ‘ward’ means here ‘that which has to be observed,’ ‘a charge,’ in the same sense in which it occurs in Num_9:23 ‘they kept the charge of the Lord;’ 2Ch_13:11 ‘For we keep the charge of the Lord our God.’ Cf. Gen_26:5.
It is therefore to be distinguished from its more concrete use in Neh_12:9; Neh_12:24; Neh_13:30, where it refers to the ‘posts’ of the Levites.
according to the commandment … and of Solomon his son] The reference is one of a general character to the regulations of the Temple services ascribed by the Chronicler to David (1 Chronicles 23-26) and Solomon (2Ch_8:14).
‘And of Solomon.’ The word ‘and’ must have accidentally dropped out of the Hebrew text, and must be restored.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (45) Kept the ward.—This should be read differently. The…
(45) Kept the ward.—This should be read differently. The priests and Levites kept the ward of their God, and the ward of purification, and the singers and porters, &c. To “keep the ward” is to observe the regular times and seasons of sacrifice and thanksgiving.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain This verse is wrongly translated in the A. V.…
This verse is wrongly translated in the A. V. It should be rendered, as in the Vulgate and the Septuagint they (i.e. the priests and Levites) maintained the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, and the singers, and the porters (i.e. the institutions of singers and porters), according to the ordinance of David and of Solomon his son." Maintaining the ward of their God is serving regularly in the temple at the times appointed; maintaining the ward of the purification is observing the rules for the purifying of the holy things which had been laid down by David. (1Ch_23:28)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain And both the singers.
Neh_12:45-47
And both the singers.
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Thanks-giving and thanks-living
We have here the effects of the joy that was at the dedication of the wall.
I. The ministers were more careful than they had been of their work. Ii. The people were more careful than they had been of the maintenance of their ministers. The surest way for ministers to recommend themselves to their people, and gain an interest in their affections, is to wait on their ministry, to be humble and industrious, and to mind their business; when these did so, the people thought nothing too much for them to encourage them.
1. Care is here taken for the collecting of their dues.
2. Care is taken that, being gathered in, it might be duly paid out. (Matthew Henry.)
For in the days of David and Asaph of old.
The good old times
I. Nothing is necessarily good because it is old. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Habit, education, tradition, prejudice, play an important part in history.
II. That which is old is presumptively valuable. Good lasts. Truth is as old as the hills. Application: Prove all things. Despise nothing. The present is a huge borrower from the dead past. (Homiletic Commentary.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.