All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, as every day required; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.
Parallel Translations
-
All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the gatekeepers, as every day required; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.
-
And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron.
-
And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, as every day required; and they hallowed for the Levites; and the Levites hallowed for the sons of Aaron.
Cross-references (10)
Passages linked to Nehemiah 12:47 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Numbers 18:21-29 “To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting. Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. Among the children of Israel, they shall have no inheritance. For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe. Your wave offering shall be credited to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the wine press. Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Yahweh of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give Yahweh’s wave offering to Aaron the priest. Out of all your gifts, you shall offer every wave offering to Yahweh, of all its best parts, even the holy part of it.’
- 2 Chronicles 31:5-6 As soon as the commandment went out, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the increase of the field; and they brought in the tithe of all things abundantly. The children of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated to Yahweh their God, and laid them in heaps.
- Nehemiah 10:35-39 and to bring the first fruits of our ground, and the first fruits of all fruit of all kinds of trees, year by year, to Yahweh’s house; also the firstborn of our sons, and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; and that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, our wave offerings, the fruit of all kinds of trees, and the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. The priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes. The Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms, into the treasure house. For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the wave offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the rooms, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, and the priests who minister, with the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not forsake the house of our God.
- Nehemiah 11:23 For there was a commandment from the king concerning them, and a settled provision for the singers, as every day required.
- Nehemiah 12:1 Now these are the priests and the Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
- Nehemiah 12:12 In the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers’ households: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
- Nehemiah 12:26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest and scribe.
- Nehemiah 13:10-12 I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had each fled to his field. Then I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is God’s house forsaken?” I gathered them together, and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, the new wine, and the oil to the treasuries.
- Malachi 3:8-10 Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for.
- Galatians 6:6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That is, the tenth part of the tithes.
That is, the tenth part of the tithes.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain They sanctified holy things, i.e. they sequestered or set…
They sanctified holy things, i.e. they sequestered or set apart the first-fruits and tithes from their own share, and devoted them to the use of the Levites, to whom they belonged. And so did the Levites by the tithe of the tithes. Thus they all conscientiously paid their dues to God, or his assigns, and did not profane, those things which God had sanctified, nor take them to their own common use, as divers ungodly or covetous persons had formerly used to do when they had opportunity.
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 Sanctified - They set apart the first-fruits and tithes…
Sanctified - They set apart the first-fruits and tithes from their own share, and devoted them to the use of the Levites. And so did the Levites by the tithe of the tithes. Thus they all conscientiously paid their dues, and did not profane those things which God had sanctified, nor take them into their own common use. When what is contributed for the support of religion, is given with an eye to God, it is sanctified, and will cause the blessing to rest upon the house, and all that is therein.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 47. All Israel - gave the portions of…
Verse 47. All Israel - gave the portions of the singers] The singers and the porters were supported by the people at large; and each of these had their portions served out to them daily.
And they sanctified - unto the Levites] The things which were provided for sacred uses were delivered by the people to the Levites, and the Levites presented them to the priests.
Read full note →
The children of Aaron.] This may refer principally to the tithes which the people brought to the Levites; the tithe or tenth of which the Levites gave to the priests. The presenting these tithes is termed sanctifying them; that is, dedicating them to those sacred or ecclesiastical uses for which they were designed: this is a very general meaning of the word sanctify in Scripture.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Neh 12:47. They sanctified holy things unto the Levites…
Neh 12:47. They sanctified holy things unto the Levites — They set apart the first-fruits and tithes from their own share, and devoted them to the use of the Levites. And so did the Levites by the tithe of tithes. Thus they all conscientiously paid their dues, and did not profane those things which God had sanctified, nor take them unto their own common use. When what is contributed for the support of religion is given with an eye to God, it is sanctified, and will cause the blessing to rest upon the house, and all that is therein.
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 intention is to compare the religious activity and…
The intention is to compare the religious activity and strictness of Nehemiah’s time with that which had prevailed under Zerubbabel, as described by Ezra Ezr 6:16, Ezr 6:22. It is implied that the intermediate period had been a time of laxity.
They sanctified holy things ... - i. e, “the people paid their tithes regularly to the Levites, and the Levites paid the tithe of the tithes to the priests.”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain all Israel . . . sanctified holy things unto…
all Israel . . . sanctified holy things unto the Levites,--&c. The people, selecting the tithes and first-fruits, devoted them to the use of the Levites, to whom they belonged by appointment of the law. The Levites acted in the same way with the tithes due from them to the priests. Thus all classes of the people displayed a conscientious fidelity in paying the dues to the temple and the servants of God who were appointed to minister in it.
Next: Nehemiah Chapter 13
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 47. Gave the portions — The tithes and other…
47. Gave the portions — The tithes and other contributions necessary for the support of the singers and porters.
They sanctified holy things unto the Levites — They set apart, as things consecrated to holy uses, the portions designed for the Levites. Instead of holy things it is better simply to substitute them, referring to the portions just named.
Read full note →
And the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron — The Levites were required to give a tithe of the tithes (compare Neh_10:38) to the priests, here called sons of Aaron. So of all the tithes committed to them they set apart a tenth for the priests. “Ye also shall offer a heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes,” etc. See the law in Num_18:26-29.
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 47. in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the…
47. in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah] The mention of Nehemiah in the 3rd person along with Zerubbabel is an almost convincing proof that the sentence was not from the hand of Nehemiah; but that it was written (probably by the Chronicler) at a considerable interval of time since Nehemiah’s death. The two men are here mentioned as the two heroes of their generation, under whom Israel was loyal to their Temple.
gave … sanctified] The participles in the Heb. show the continuous habit.
Read full note →
every day his portion] R.V. as every day required. In Neh_11:23, we are told a daily provision for the singers was one of the commands of the Persian king: but there was also doubtless a regular daily payment on their behalf made by the people.
sanctified holy things unto the Levites] R.V. sanctified for the Levites. ‘They sanctified,’ i.e. all Israel (not ‘the singers and the porters’) set apart for the use of those who served God. The word ‘sanctify’ is therefore equivalent to ‘devote’ or dedicate in this connexion: cf. Lev_27:14; Lev_27:16 sqq. ‘sanctify a house … a field;’ 1Ch_26:27 ‘Out of the spoil won in battles did they dedicate to repair the house of the Lord.’ There is no idea of a succession of ritual acts of consecration.
the children of Aaron] This expression only occurs in our books here and Neh_10:38. In neither passage have we the words of Nehemiah himself but of the Compiler, who was probably also the Chronicler, with whom the term is a favourite one for ‘the priesthood,’ e.g. 2Ch_13:9-10; 2Ch_31:19; 2Ch_35:14.
The sanctifying of Israel for the Levites consisted in the payment of the tithes to the house of Levi; the sanctifying on the part of the Levites for the priests, in the payment of ‘the tithe of the tithes’ (see Neh_10:38) in accordance with Num_18:26.
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 (47) The Levites.—Between the people and the priests came…
(47) The Levites.—Between the people and the priests came the Levites, who received the tithe and gave the priests their “tithe of the tithe” (Num_18:26).
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 In the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days…
In the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah. i.e. "In the days of Nehemiah, no less than in those of Zerubbabel." Gave the portions. Paid their tithes, and other dues, regularly, so that the portions were forthcoming. Every day his portion. Compare Neh_11:23. They sanctified holy things unto the Levites. They, i.e. the people, "set apart" for the Levites all that the law required; and the Levites set apart for the priests their due share tithe of the tithe". (Num_18:26)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 12:47 From the time of the first returnees to…
12:47 From the time of the first returnees to Jerusalem in the days of Zerubbabel in 538 BC (Ezra 3:1) until the time of Nehemiah around 445 BC, Israelites brought food for those working at the Temple. Most of the Levites lived in cities around the country; they collected the tithe and brought a tenth of what they received to the Temple in Jerusalem to support its ministry (see Neh 10:38-39).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.