The Levites' role in the dedication of the walls
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. 28 The singers also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem—from the villages of the Netophathites, 29 from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.
The dedication of the walls apparently took place shortly after the completion of the walls and the repopulation of Jerusalem described in Nehemiah chapters 6 and 7—that is, about 444 B.C. The “I” in the text indicates that this part of the book is based on Nehemiah’s own memories of the event.