Nehemiah 10:2-8

The Priestly Families (Nehemiah 10:2).

Following the governor were named the priestly families, who would clearly be important in anything involving an agreement with God. It was they who represented Israel before God.

One problem we have in comparing these names with those used elsewhere is firstly that some of those who sealed the agreement may well have been using the family name, and secondly that at that time names were passed down in families by custom from grandfather to grandson. We can compare how the names given to the priestly houses in the time of Zerubbabel and Joshua over fifty years previously (Nehemiah 12:1) included names such as Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra (Azariah), Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah (Shebaniah), Rehum (Harim), Meremoth, Ginnethol (Ginnethon), Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah (Maaziah), Bilgah (Bilgai), and Shemaiah. It will be noted that these are paralleled below. Hattush and Harim were also the names of priestly families which arrived with Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 7:41; Ezra 2:38). But as some of those below would have sealed in the family name this is not as surprising as it might at first appear. Indeed, they may well have taken the family name on becoming head of the family. Others may have followed the custom at the time of being named after their grandfathers. Compare how the names reoccur in the list of fathers in the generation after the return (Nehemiah 12:12). The fact that Ezra is missing from the list is explained in terms of the fact that he was a son of Seraiah (Ezra 7:1), the latter sealing on behalf of the family. Unique to the list here are Passhur, Malchijah (see Nehemiah 3:11; Nehemiah 3:14; Nehemiah 3:31), Obadiah, Daniel, Baruch and Meshullam (see Nehemiah 3:4; Nehemiah 3:6; Nehemiah 3:30). But Daniel (of the sons of Ithamar) was a leading priest in Ezra's expedition (Ezra 8:2)

The names of the priestly families are now given:

Nehemiah 10:2

‘Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,  10:3 ‘Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,'  10:4 ‘Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,'  105 ‘Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,'  10:6 ‘Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,'  10:7 ‘Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,'  10:8a Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah;'

Nehemiah 10:8

‘These were the priests.'

It is unusual in these lists to find the explanation for those listed following their names. Elsewhere it is prior to the giving of their names (Nehemiah 7:39; Nehemiah 12:1; Nehemiah 12:12). But this may well have been done deliberately here because the writer wants to see them as sharing equal authority with the governor and his scribe, in view of the nature of the document. It is an agreement with God through His representatives. And indeed was probably prepared by the priests as the religious experts. To have headed them with ‘these were the priests' would have relegated them rather to rank with those who followed, and separated them off from Nehemiah's authority and from their prime part in the agreement. We can also compare how Jeshua, the High Priest, is named with others alongside Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 7:7).