Nehemiah 12:10-11 - Exposition

LIST OF THE HIGH PRIESTS FROM JESHUA TO JADDUA ( Nehemiah 12:10 , Nehemiah 12:11 ).

That this is the line of descent in the high priestly family of the time sufficiently appears both from the names themselves, and from the position assigned to those who bore them in Nehemiah 12:22 , Nehemiah 12:23 , Nehemiah 12:26 . Whether all of them actually exercised the high priest's office is left uncertain in Scripture, but satisfactorily established by Josephus. The six names cover a space of at least 205 years—from the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus, b.c. 538, to the submission of Jerusalem to Alexander the Great, b.c. 333, which gives very long generations, but still such as are historically possible. Jeshua was certainly high priest from b.c. 538 to b.c. 516. He may have been succeeded by his son, Joiakim, about b.c. 490. Joiakim had certainly been succeeded by his son, Eliashib, before b.c. 444 ( Nehemiah 3:1 ); and Eliashib was probably succeeded by Joiada about b.c. 420. Joiada's high priesthood may be assigned to the period between b.c. 420 and 380; Jonathan's to that between b.c. 380 and 350. Jaddua might then hold the dignity from b.c. 350 to 330, or later, and so be brought into contact with Alexander the Great. It is questioned whether in that case Nehemiah can have written the present passage, and certain that he cannot have done so unless he lived to be at least 131 years of age. As this is exceedingly improbable, it is best to suppose, either that the whole list was placed here by Malachi, or at any rate that that prophet added the clause, "and Jonathan begat Jaddua."