The priests and Levites first purified themselves; then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- BSB After the priests and Levites had purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
- NKJV Then the priests and Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
- NASB The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The priests and Levites purified themselves, then the people, the gates, and the wall. It matters because holiness and consecration had to precede joyful celebration before a holy God.
Overview
Ceremonial purification prepared both the ministers and the city for the dedication, underscoring that approach to God requires cleansing. The order, starting with the leaders, shows that those who lead worship must first be made clean. These rituals point forward to the perfect cleansing accomplished by Christ, whose blood purifies His people inwardly to draw near to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Job 1:5It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.
- Exod 19:10Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,
- Ezra 6:21The children of Israel who had returned out of the captivity, and all who had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, ate,
- 2 Chr 29:5and said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify Yahweh, the God of your fathers’ house, and carry the filthiness out of the holy place.
- Neh 13:30Thus I cleansed them from all foreigners, and appointed duties for the priests and for the Levites, everyone in his work;
- Neh 13:22I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember to me, my God, this also, and spare me according to the greatness of your loving kindness.
- Heb 5:3Because of this, he must offer sacrifices for sins for the people, as well as for himself.
- Num 19:2–20“This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded. Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no defect, and which was never yoked.
- 2 Chr 29:34But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings. Therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
- Gen 35:2Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.
- Heb 5:1For every high priest, being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
- Exod 19:15He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rebuilt walls and renewed covenant community foreshadow the greater builder who gathers and secures a people for God, the one who declares 'I will build my church.'
How Nehemiah 12:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.