and Jeshua That is Joshua the High Priest.

in the days of Jeshua i.e., those who were leaders in the days of Joshua the High Priest.

huyedoth [This was] a type of musical instrument which accompanied the songs.

in the watches as we find (in I Chronicles from ch. 24 on) that the Levites were divided into twenty- four watches.

Now Jeshua begot Joiakim, etc. All those [listed] in this verse were high priests.

And in the days of Joiakim who was the high priest. These priests were the leaders of the fathers’ houses of their watches.

of Seraiah was Meraiah Of the watch of Seraiah, the head of the father’s house was Meraiah, and of the watch of Jeremiah, the head of the father’s house was Hananiah, and so it is with them all, and the reason Scripture did not list all twenty-four watches is that it is not exacting in enumerating them all.

The Levites in the days of Eliashib These Levites were the heads of the fathers’ houses in the watches of the Levites in the days of Eliashib the High Priest, and the priests enumerated immediately above were the heads of the fathers’ houses in their watches, also in the days of Eliashib.

in the reign of This matter came about in the days of Darius.

even until the days of Johanan All those who were the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites until the days of Johanan the High Priest were enumerated in the chronicles.

a watch opposite a watch for they were divided into their watches to recite the song.

sentries of the gates [in their] watch The sentries of the gates were in their watch to guard the gates of the Temple.

at the thresholds Heb. בַּאֲסֻפֵּי, like בְּסִיפֵּי הַשְּׁעָרִים, at the thresholds of the gates.

These were in the days of Joiakim These were the gate sentries in the days of Joiakim.

And in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem at the completion of the wall of the city, to sanctify the city.

and with thanksgivings Heb. וּבְתוֹדוֹת, and with thanksgivings.

and from the plain the singers came from [the plain] surrounding Jerusalem.

purified themselves First they purified themselves, and afterwards they purified the others.

and the gates and the wall that there should be no uncleanliness in the city.

upon the wall meaning that he sanctified the city, the princes, the tribunal, and the Levites with two thanksgiving offerings around the city, as is delineated in Tractate Shebuoth (14a, 15a, b), in order to sanctify the city.

two...thanksgiving offerings two breads of the thanksgiving offerings, each bread being called a thanksgiving offering.

with processions to the right And when they went out of the city in order to encompass it, they went to the right side.

Judah and Benjamin They were two princes.

And his brethren the colleagues of Zechariah the priest.

And by the Fountain Gate Before the Fountain Gate, they marched around the city.

and opposite them And before them they ascended from the Fountain Gate to the steps of the City of David, and those steps led to the wall.

And the second thanksgiving offering, which went opposite [it] The other thanksgiving offering, which was second to its fellow, went opposite its fellow, alongside it, not one following the other.

and I was after it And I marched after it, [i.e.,] after the thanksgiving offering.

and they stood They stood, there and did not go any further.

the two thanksgiving offerings that they carried to the Temple.

with the trumpets They sounded the trumpets out of their joy.

were appointed Heb. וַיִפָקְדוּ, a word meaning appointment.

the chambers Heb. הַנְשָׁכוֹת, like הַלְשָּׁכוֹת, the chambers of the Temple.

to gather in them And in these chambers they would place all the gifts of the priests and the Levites, and from there they would distribute [them] among them.

portions Heb. מְנָאוֹת like מָנוֹת.

for the priests and for the Levites The priests were taking what was due them and the Levites what was due them.

who stood and ministered there before the Holy One, blessed be He, with thanksgiving offerings and thanksgivings.

the portions Heb. מְנָיוֹת, like מָנוֹת.

and they consecrated [them] for the Levites And they would give the tithe to the Levites, who would take the tithe from the tithe and give it to the priests.