NEHEMIAH 12 — PRIESTLY RECORDS AND THE JOYFUL DEDICATION OF THE WALL

Chapter 12 has two main parts. The first (verses 1–26) consists of priestly and Levitical lists from different periods: the first return under Zerubbabel (c. 538 BC), the next generations through the high priests Joiakim, Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan (Jonathan), and Jaddua, and the leaders of Nehemiah's time. The second part (verses 27–47) narrates the dedication of the wall, probably some time after its completion in 445 BC, perhaps after the repopulation of Jerusalem described in chapter 11, and returns to the first person voice of Nehemiah's memoir. The lists show that the community took care to preserve its priestly and Levitical records. The reference to Jaddua, the high priest who probably served until about 330 BC, and to Darius the Persian (verse 22) means that these lists were updated after Nehemiah's day, which indicates that the final form of the book was completed later. The dedication scene is a high point of the book, in which the labor of building is crowned by worship.

The priestly names and the succession of high priests in this chapter fit the evidence from outside the Bible. The Elephantine papyri mention Johanan the high priest in Jerusalem around 407 BC and the sons of Sanballat, which confirms the chronology of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan. The coins and seals of the Persian province of Yehud give evidence of the administration. The mention of the stairs of the City of David and the Broad Wall corresponds to archaeological features: the stepped stone structure excavated on the eastern slope, and the Broad Wall in the Jewish Quarter. The use of processions on walls for religious celebrations is documented in the ancient Near East. The musical instruments named are found in the Bible and in contemporary depictions. The Book of the Chronicles mentioned in verse 23 is consistent with the practice of temple archives in the ancient world.