After the leaders of the priests, the leaders of the Levites are listed. There are two groups of Levites, those in charge of the songs of thanksgiving and those who “stood opposite them in the service” (next verse). These were two Levitical choirs that sang antiphonally in the Temple liturgy (see Neh 11.17).

Who with his brethren was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving: The relative pronoun who refers specifically to Mattaniah who is associated with the other Levites by the phrase with his brethren. The Hebrew says they were “over” the songs in the sense of “above, in charge of.” Contemporary English Version says they “were responsible for,” and Darby translates “had the management of.” Good News Translation restructures the verse to make it clear that Mattaniah and his colleagues were in charge of the music.

The Hebrew word rendered songs of thanksgiving is related to the same verb as in Neh 11.17 with the meaning “to give thanks” or “to praise.” English translations generally refer to “thanksgiving” in this context. Contemporary English Version is an exception with “songs of praise.” In French translations they are mostly referred to as “songs of praise.” In many cultures there is a tradition of praise songs and this should be considered as a possible rendering here, remembering that these are praises that are part of a worship service to God. Jerusalem Bible therefore refers to them as “hymns of thanksgiving.” For a discussion of hymns or songs of praise and songs of thanksgiving, see the Introduction to A Handbook on Psalms, page 2.

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 .