Nehemiah 10:8

Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(8) These were the priests.—That is, the names of the priestly families. (Comp. Nehemiah 12:1-6.)

Benson Commentary

Nehemiah 10:8. These were the priests — That is, the chief of them; for there are but twenty-one of them named here.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

10:1-31 Conversion is separating from the course and custom of this world, devoting ourselves to the conduct directed by the word of God. When we bind ourselves to do the commandments of God, it is to do all his commandments, and to look to him as the Lord, and our Lord.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The names are not personal, but designate families. The seal of the high-priestly house of Seraiah was probably appended either by Ezra or Eliashib, both of whom belonged to it.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 10

Ne 10:1-27. The Names of Those Who Sealed the Covenant.

1. Nehemiah, the Tirshatha—His name was placed first in the roll on account of his high official rank, as deputy of the Persian monarch. All classes were included in the subscription; but the people were represented by their elders (Ne 10:14), as it would have been impossible for every one in the country to have been admitted to the sealing.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now those that sealed were,.... That sealed the covenant, made Nehemiah 9:38.

Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah; the governor of the Jews:

and Zidkijah; who seems also to have been a prince, since, without, it could not be said it was sealed by their princes, Nehemiah 9:38 though some think both these were priests, and then the princes must be supposed to be among the chief of the people, Nehemiah 10:14, from hence to the end of the twenty seventh their names follow; the names of the priests, Nehemiah 10:2, who were in all twenty one; no mention is made either of Eliashib the high priest, nor of Ezra the priest and scribe; some think the former had not behaved well in his office, and that the latter was either sick, or returned to Babylon, or however hindered by some providence or another, since we hear of him both a little before and after, Nehemiah 8:2 then the names of the Levites, Nehemiah 10:9, in all seventeen, most of which we have met with in this book before; next follow the names of the chief of the people, Nehemiah 10:14, their number in all forty four; and their names may be observed in the list of those that came out of Babylon with Zerubbabel; the whole number of those that sealed, princes, priests, Levites, and chief of the people, were eighty four.

Geneva Study Bible

Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were {a} the priests.

(a) Who subscribed to keep the promise.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8. these were the priests] The names of Seraiah, Jeremiah, Amariah are found in both lists (a) Nehemiah 12:1-7 and (b) Nehemiah 12:12-22. Shebaniah is found in (b) Nehemiah 12:14 but appears as Shechaniah in (a) Nehemiah 12:3. Malluch is found in (a) Nehemiah 12:2, but appears as Malluchi (Melicu) in (b) Nehemiah 12:14 : Harim is found in (b) Nehemiah 12:15 but appears probably as Rehum in (a) Nehemiah 12:3 : Meremoth is found in (a) Nehemiah 12:3, but appears as Meraioth in (b) Nehemiah 12:15 : Ginnetho is found in (b) Nehemiah 12:16, but appears as Ginnethoi in (a) Nehemiah 12:4 : Mijamin is found in (a) Nehemiah 12:5 but appears as Miniamin in (b) Nehemiah 12:17. Bilgai is clearly the same as Bilgah (a) Nehemiah 12:5 and (b) Nehemiah 12:18. Hattush in found in (a) Nehemiah 12:2 but has dropped out of (b). Azariah has sometimes been identified with the Ezra of (a) Nehemiah 12:1 and (b) Nehemiah 12:13.

It thus appears that, out of the 21 ‘priests’ or ‘priestly houses’ mentioned here, nine (i.e. Pashur, Malchijah, Obadiah, Daniel, Baruch, Meshullam, Abijah, Maaziah, Shemaiah) do not occur in the two lists of chap. 12.

Nehemiah 10:8

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Nehemiah 10:3-10)

At the head of the signatures stood Nehemiah the Tirshatha, as governor of the country, and Zidkijah, a high official, of whom nothing further is known, perhaps (after the analogy of Ezra 4:9, Ezra 4:17) secretary to the governor. Then follow (in vv. 3-9) twenty-one names, with the addition: these, the priests. Of these twenty-one names, fifteen occur in Nehemiah 12:2-7 as chiefs of the priests who came up with Joshua and Zerubbabel from Babylon, and in Nehemiah 12:11-20 as heads of priestly houses. Hence it is obvious that all the twenty-one names are those of heads of priestly classes, who signed the agreement in the names of the houses and families of their respective classes. Seraiah is probably the prince of the house of God dwelling at Jerusalem, mentioned Nehemiah 11:11, who signed in place of the high priest. For further remarks on the orders of priests and their heads, see Nehemiah 12:1.