Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests.
When Israel was first brought into covenant with God it was done by sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, Ex. 24. But here it was done by the more natural and common way of sealing and subscribing the written articles of the covenant, which bound them to no more than was already their duty. Now here we have, I.
Commenting on Nehemiah 10:1-31
Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these [were] the priests. (a) Who subscribed to keep the promise.
Neh 10:2-9 (Hebrew_Bible_10:3-10) At the head of the signatures stood Nehemiah the Tirshatha, as governor of the country, and Zidkijah, a high official, of whom nothing further is known, perhaps (after the analogy of Ezr 4:9, Ezr 4:17) secretary to the governor. Then follow (in vv. 3-9) twenty-one names, with the addition: these, the priests.
Commenting on Nehemiah 10:2-9