Seraiah was the name of the last high priest before the exile. His ancestry given in this verse is much shorter and differs from the genealogy in Ezra 7.1-2 (compare 1 Chr 9.11). Here his name comes as part of the ancestry of Jedaiah, as noted in the previous verse.

Ruler of the house of God is used here as a title for the high priest (see 2 Chr 31.10, 13). Good News Translation makes it explicit that he was the “High Priest” (also Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant), but most translations reflect the Hebrew more closely; for example, “supervisor of the house of God” (Revised English Bible), “chief officer of the House of God” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “prefect of the Temple of God” (Jerusalem Bible), and “prince of the House of God” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). It is recommended that “High Priest” be put in the translation with a literal rendering in a footnote.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .