The choir went first in the procession and after them went Hoshaiah and half of the princes of Judah. Hoshaiah is an unknown lay leader who served as the leader of the procession. The princes were the family heads or “leaders” (Good News Translation). They were divided into two equal groups and one of the groups went with Hoshaiah.

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 .