Font Size
The dedication of the walls of Jerusalem (12:27-43) is the highpoint of Ezra-Nehemiah. This climactic ceremony commemorates the final step in the restoration and reorganization of the people of Israel. The temple had been rebuilt, the walls of Jerusalem finished, the city repopulated, and the authority of the Book of the Law established. Therefore, the community joined together with unmitigated joy to celebrate what God had done for his people.
The religious nature of the dedication is immediately evident. The participants as well as the walls and gates themselves were first purified by the priests and Levites. Ritual purification (Heb. ṭāhēr) is symbolic of the holiness and purity of God that can be appropriated by his people. As God’s restored covenantal community the Jews can be ritually pure.
The procession began on the western wall facing eastward toward the temple. From there it divided into two symmetrical “thanksgiving choirs” (Heb. tôd̠ôt̠). The first (12:31-37), led by Ezra, proceeded to the right, counterclockwise, along the wall toward the temple. The other (vv.38-39), which included Nehemiah, advanced to the left, clockwise, toward the sanctuary. Meeting at the house of God, they expressed their joy through song and sacrifice. The word joy is the central focus of the dedication.