Nehemiah 12:30
in Nehemiah 12After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
KJV
And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
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This verse in Nehemiah 12
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAnd the priests and the Levites purified themselves,.... By washing their bodies and their clothes, perhaps by sprinkling the water of purification on them, see Num 8:6.
This site's exposition
At the dedication of the wall
on Nehemiah 12:27-30
After twenty-six verses of roster the narrative returns to "the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem". The Levites are sought out from all their homes, and the singers gathered. The priests and Levites purify themselves first, then "the people, the gates, and the wall," cleansing moving outward from the leaders.
This site's exposition
they purified the people, the gates, and the wall
Gill describes the purification of the priests and Levites as the washing of body and clothes, with the water of purification sprinkled on them. Clarke takes the cleansing of the gates and wall as the clearing away of filth and rubbish. Then the procession could begin.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the priests and Levites purified themselves, etc. It is a wholly just order that those teachers and prelates who wish to purify the people should first be purified themselves; first, they should chastise their own body and bring it into servitude, lest perhaps, while …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This purification was performed, it is probable, by sprinkling the water of purifying (or of separation, as it is called, Num. xix. 9 ) on themselves and the people, the walls and the gates--a type of the blood of Christ, with which our consciences being purged from dead works, we become fit to serve the living God ( Heb. ix.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Purified themselves - They that would be instrumental to sanctify others, must sanctify themselves, and set themselves apart for God, with purity of mind and sincerity of intention.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The priests and the Levites purified themselves - This consisted in washings, abstinence from wine, and other matters, which, on all other occasions, were lawful. And as to the purifying of the gates and the walls, nothing was requisite but to remove all filth from the former, and all rubbish that might have been laid against the latter.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manifestation of His presence, and anew set apart to His service. It was on these accounts that Jerusalem was called "the holy city," and by this public and solemn act of religious observance, after a long period of neglect and desecration, it was, as it were, restored to its rightful proprietor.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּֽטַּהֲר֔וּ | vaiyitaharu | and they purified themselves | H2891 → | 94 times |
| הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים | hakohanim | the priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| וְהַלְוִיִּ֑ם | vehalviyim | and the Levites | H3881 → | 291 times |
| וַֽיְטַהֲרוּ֙ | vaytaharu | and they purified | H2891 → | 94 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָעָ֔ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַשְּׁעָרִ֖ים | hashearim | the gates | H8179 → | 374 times |
| וְאֶֽת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַחוֹמָֽה׃ | hachomah | the wall | H2346 → | 133 times |
וַיִּֽטַּהֲר֔וּand they purified themselves
vaiyitaharuH2891 →94 times
הַכֹּהֲנִ֖יםthe priests
hakohanimH3548 →750 times
וְהַלְוִיִּ֑םand the Levites
vehalviyimH3881 →291 times
וַֽיְטַהֲרוּ֙and they purified
vaytaharuH2891 →94 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָעָ֔םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הַשְּׁעָרִ֖יםthe gates
hashearimH8179 →374 times
וְאֶֽת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הַחוֹמָֽה׃the wall
hachomahH2346 →133 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 19:10Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes
it leads to
- Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Leviticus 11:44–45
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
- Genesis 35:2
So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.
- Leviticus 11:25
and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.
- Numbers 8:21
The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them.
- Hebrews 10:22
Through
Job 1:5And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps…
it leads to
- Job 42:8
So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer…
- Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
- 1 Samuel 16:5
“In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
- Job 42:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.