Nehemiah 12:45
in Nehemiah 12They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the purification, and so did the singers and the porters, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
KJV
And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
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This verse in Nehemiah 12
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of their purification,.... The singers kept their turns in course in the temple, and were not wanting to officiate on all occasions, besides morning and evening services; and the porters they diligently kept the gates of the temple, that no impure person or thing in a ceremonial sense entered: according to the commandment of David, and Solomon his son; who made very good rules and orders relative to the better and more regular performance of service by them; see 1Ch 25:1.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
6 , The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. Let the memory of the just be blessed, be perpetuated. It is a debt we still owe to faithful ministers to remember our guides, who have spoken to us the word of God, Heb. xiii.
The singers kept the ward of their God, attending in due time to the duty of their office; the porters, too, kept the ward of the purification, that is, they took care to preserve the purity of the temple by denying admission to those that were ceremonially unclean.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the singers and the porters kept . . . the ward of the purification--that is, took care that no unclean person was allowed to enter within the precincts of the sacred building. This was the official duty of the porters (2Ch 23:19), with whom, owing to the pressure of circumstances, it was deemed expedient that the singers should be associated as assistants.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The ward of the purification - The observances with respect to purification. Compare 1Ch 23:28.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיִּשְׁמְר֞וּ | vaiyishmeru | and they kept | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת | mishmeret | [the] service of | H4931 → | 78 times |
| אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ | ʾeloheihem | God their | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וּמִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת | umishmeret | and [the] service of | H4931 → | 78 times |
| הַֽטָּהֳרָ֔ה | hatohorah | <the> purification | H2893 → | |
| וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים | vehamshorerim | and the singers | H7891 → | 86 times |
| וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִ֑ים | vehashoarim | and the gatekeepers | H7778 → | 37 times |
| כְּמִצְוַ֥ת | kemitzvat | according to [the] command of | H4687 → | 181 times |
| דָּוִ֖יד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| שְׁלֹמֹ֥ה | shelomoh | Solomon | H8010 → | 291 times |
| בְנֽוֹ׃ | veno | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
וַֽיִּשְׁמְר֞וּand they kept
vaiyishmeruH8104 →468 times
מִשְׁמֶ֤רֶת[the] service of
mishmeretH4931 →78 times
אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙God their
ʾeloheihemH430 →2601 times
וּמִשְׁמֶ֣רֶתand [the] service of
umishmeretH4931 →78 times
הַֽטָּהֳרָ֔ה<the> purification
hatohorahH2893 →
וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖יםand the singers
vehamshorerimH7891 →86 times
וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִ֑יםand the gatekeepers
vehashoarimH7778 →37 times
כְּמִצְוַ֥תaccording to [the] command of
kemitzvatH4687 →181 times
דָּוִ֖ידDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
שְׁלֹמֹ֥הSolomon
shelomohH8010 →291 times
בְנֽוֹ׃son his
venoH1121 →4930 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 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
1 Chronicles 23:28but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 35:3–6
To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not…
- 2 Chronicles 35:11–14
And they slaughtered the Passover lambs, while the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them and the Levites skinned the animals.
- 2 Chronicles 31:11
Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare storerooms in the house of the LORD, and they did so.
- Nehemiah 13:9
Then I ordered that the rooms be purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.
- 1 Chronicles 28:13
for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD:
- 2 Chronicles 35:3–6
Through
2 Chronicles 23:6No one is to enter the house of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to obey the requirement…
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 23:28–32
but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and…
- 2 Kings 11:6–7
a third shall be at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take turns guarding the temple—
- 1 Chronicles 23:28–32
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Nehemiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.