Nehemiah 12:31-43

Those Taking Part In The Ceremony Are Divided Into Two Great Companies Who Proceed To Circumnavigate The Wall, One Company Going One Way And The Other Company The Other (Nehemiah 12:31).

Nehemiah now divided the representatives of Judah (i.e. the new Israel) into two great companies who together would give thanks as they circumnavigated the wall, one company going one way and the other the other. We cannot be sure whether they actually walked on top of the wall, or whether they walked alongside the wall (the Hebrew is not clear on this). But while the details may not be fully clear the ceremony followed an established pattern:

· First in each case went a company of those who gave thanks (Nehemiah 12:31; Nehemiah 12:38). These may well have been composed of the singers and musicians who had been gathered together as previously described in Nehemiah 12:27.

· These were then followed, in the one case by Hoshaiah (Nehemiah 12:32), and in the other by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:38; Nehemiah 12:40). Hoshaiah was clearly a man of great importance, a leader of the Jews, possibly deputy to Nehemiah.

· Hoshaiah was then followed by half the ‘princes' of Judah (Nehemiah 12:32), and Nehemiah by the other half (Nehemiah 12:40). By the princes of Judah are meant, not the leaders of that tribe, but the aristocrats of greater Judah, including Benjamin. They included the aristocrats and clan leaders of the whole community of the new Israel.

· These were then followed in each case by seven prominent named priests, possibly accompanied by other priests, who blew the trumpets (Nehemiah 12:33 a, Nehemiah 12:41).

· After them came the leading named Chief Musicians, Zechariah (Nehemiah 12:35 b) and possibly Jezrahiah (Nehemiah 12:42), who in each case were accompanied by eight leading Levitical musicians singing loudly (Nehemiah 12:36; Nehemiah 12:42).