Nehemiah 12:37
And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward. And at the fountain gate, which was over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the water gate eastward.
Nehemiah 12:37 belongs to the account of the dedication of Jerusalem's restored walls after the return from the Babylonian captivity. It belongs to the book written by Nehemiah, the governor appointed of the Lord with the burden of restoring Jerusalem. It stands in the story of the ups and downs, battles and conflicts, defeats and victories of the Jews at Jerusalem under the last reformation, which is typical of God's work in other ages, especially in the last days. It stands where adversaries put forth every possible effort to hinder Nehemiah and his work, met by the answer that he was doing a great work and therefore could not come down, and where God carries the work to glorious success despite all the adversary's efforts to hinder it. It belongs to the time of Nehemiah's last reform concerning the better observance of the Sabbath.
The verse describes part of the route taken along Jerusalem's wall, from the Fountain Gate up by the stairs of the City of David and past the house of David toward the Water Gate on the east. The account of Jerusalem's walls and gates to which the verse belongs provides valuable information for identifying the topography of ancient Jerusalem. The verse shows one part of the dedication march on top of the wall after all had been purified and prepared, when two great processions of princes, priests, singers, and people went up on the wall at opposite points and marched around on top until the two met at both ends to form one continuous procession around the whole city. Before the dedication march the priests and Levites purified themselves and purified the people, so all were purified and prepared.
The dedication was kept with gladness, with thanksgiving and singing with cymbals, psalteries, and harps. After uniting, the procession stood still and gave thanks, and the singers sang loud with Jezrahiah as their overseer. On that day great sacrifices were offered and God made the people rejoice with great joy, with wives and children rejoicing, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. Sacrifices and offerings are almost inseparably connected with thanksgiving, and material giving is the really practical feature of thanksgiving, making the example of the people at Jerusalem an excellent basis for a thanksgiving program.