Nehemiah 12:8

Neh 12:8 Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, [and] Mattaniah, [which was] over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

Ver. 8. Which was over the thanksgiving] Praefectus Musicus, before doing the music. See Neh 11:17.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neh 12:8-9. Moreover the Levites, which were over the thanksgiving — Appointed to see that the psalms of thanksgiving were continually sung in the temple, in due time and manner. Also, their brethren were over against them in the watches — That is, in the places where they were appointed to stand, and wait, and perform their office, which was to keep the guard of the gates, while the others sung.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12:8-9 Their associates . . . stood opposite: To provide antiphonal singing (12:24; Ezra 3:1-11).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Had charge of them that sang the Psalms.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 8. Over the thanksgiving] The principal singers: See Clarke on Ne 11:17.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. Moreover the Levites] This list of Levite houses which returned along with Zerubbabel consists of eight names, Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Unni. In Ezr_2:40-42, the list of the Levites and singers that returned consists of Jeshua, Kadmiel, Hodaviah (?), and the children of Asaph. Other Levitical lists occur in Neh_10:9-14, Neh_12:24-26. Jeshua and Kadmiel occur in all the lists. Binnui represents ‘the sons of Henadad’, cf. Ezr_3:9 with Neh_3:24; Neh_10:10, who probably returned to Jerusalem in the year after Zerubbabel. Sherebiah’s name occurs in Neh_8:7, Neh_9:4, Neh_10:13. Judah is probably to be identified with Hodijah in Neh_10:10. Mattaniah is mentioned in Neh_11:17 as an Asaphite chief. It is probable therefore that he represents ‘the children of Asaph’ in Ezr_2:41, while other families of ‘the singers’ are represented by Bakbukiah (? = Bukkiah of the sons of Heman, 1Ch_25:4), who is mentioned in Neh_11:17, and by Unno = Unni (1Ch_15:18; 1Ch_15:20).

the thanksgiving] R.V. marg. ‘Or, the choirs’. The Hebrew word only occurs here; and the LXX. not understanding it renders ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν. The Vulgate gives ‘super hymnos.’ Compare the description of Mattaniah, the Asaphite, in Neh_11:17, ‘the chief to begin the thanksgiving in prayer.’

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.

Moreover the Levites,.... Who lived in the same times: were

Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah; most of these are made mention of in Neh 8:7, the last of them is said to be

over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren; he was the precentor, or had the directing and conducting of the songs of the temple, particularly the thanksgiving song at the daily sacrifices; Jarchi takes the word here used to be the name of a musical instrument.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Of the Levitical houses here mentioned, three only returned at first, those of Jeshua, Kadmiel, and Judah or Hodevah Neh 7:43. The others must have returned subsequently.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hymns. To preside over the bands, chap. xi. 17. (Calmet)

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).

Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, etc. Here again families are probably intended, as in Ezr_2:40 Ezr_3:9 Neh_9:4, Neh_9:5, etc., though it is possible that the founders of the families actually returned with Zerubbabel. Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel appear as the leading Levitical families at the sealing of the covenant. (Neh_10:9) On Mattaniah see the comment upon Neh_11:17.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Moreover, &c. - He was to see, that the Psalms of thanksgiving were continually sung in the temple, in due time and manner.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Jeshua ... Binnui ... Kadmiel ... Sherebiah ... Judah ... Mattaniah ... Bakbukiah ... Unni

These are names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)

stood opposite them during the service

Possible meanings are 1) this was during a worship service and these were two groups of singers or other worshipers, or 2) these groups guarded the temple at different times, or "took turns guarding the temple."

translationWords

Levi

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

huyedoth [This was] a type of musical instrument which accompanied the songs.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.