Nehemiah 12:5

Study note

Setting — The narrator records a genealogical roll call of priests and Levites who returned from exile, placing these three names between the lineage of Iddo in Nehemiah 12:4 and the lineage of Shemaiah in Nehemiah 12:6. The passage functions as a structured ledger of returning temple personnel.

The words — The text supplies מִיָּמִ֥ין (mi.ya.Min), meaning "from the right hand," מַֽעַדְיָ֖ה (ma.'ad.Yah), meaning "Yahweh is my ornament," and בִּלְגָּֽה (bil.Gah), meaning "thick hair" or "plaited." These proper names are presented without additional descriptive clauses.

The thread — This verse belongs to the continuous priestly and Levitical genealogy spanning Nehemiah 12:1-26. The list proceeds directly to Nehemiah 12:6, which adds Shemaiah, Joiarib, and Jedaiah to the same roll.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge specific individuals within an unadorned historical record. It asks for attention to the continuity of named service rather than theological elaboration.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.