Nehemiah 12:22 - Exposition

In the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua . See comment on Nehemiah 12:10 , Nehemiah 12:11 . In the reign of Darius . Rather, "to the reign." The "Darius" intended is beyond all doubt Codomannus, the adversary of Alexander the Great, who was contemporary with Jaddua. The lists went on under the four high priests down to the time when Darius Codomannus was king of Persia. It is not said that they then ceased. The Persian . Some suppose an antithesis here between this Darius.and "Darius the Mede" of Daniel ( Daniel 5:31 ; Daniel 11:1 ). But this is unlikely, since there was nothing to recall that unimportant personage to the thoughts of the writer. Others, with better reason, suggest a tacit allusion to the transfer of empire from Persia to Macedon, and think the date of the passage must be subsequent to b.c. 331, when the kingdom passed away from Persia