Hoshaiah, and Half the Princes - Nehemiah 12:32

In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate”, and in chapter twelve and verse thirty-two of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes”where we read,

And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah,

The verse reads, “And after them went Hoshaiah, ...” Nehemiah began with the words, “and after them” which means “and following them, the first group of leaders” “went Hoshaiah” or “proceeded Hoshaiah whose name means Jehovah as saved and was a prince who assisted in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah”. Nehemiah shared how “Hoshaiah” followed the first group of leaders who were staged upon the barrier wall. 

The verse continues, “... and half of the princes of Judah,” Nehemiah added the words, “and half of the princes” or “and one half pertaining to the rulers, leaders, chiefs or chieftains” “of Judah” which means “belonging to Judah whose name means praised and was the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin which occupied the southern part of Canaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon”. Nehemiah shared how one-half of the leaders and rulers belonging to “Judah” were with “Hoshaiah”.

When we consider Nehemiah's words in this verse, we learn more about the groups of leaders who were assembled for the dedication of the barrier wall. “Hoshaiah” followed the first group of leaders, and one-half of the other leaders belonging to “Judah” assembled with him. God was setting the stage for the dedication, and each of these leaders would play a role. God knows we are blessed when we give Him honor, praise and thanksgiving, and at the time we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the dead after three days as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us a passion to follow His guidance in giving thanks to Him. 

Next time Nehemiah shares about, “Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".