Jeremiah 41:1-9

Gedaliah Assassinated by Ishmael

1 In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family and one of the king's chief officers, came with 10 men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. They ate a meal together there in Mizpah,

2 but then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the 10 men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword; he killed the one the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.

3 Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who were there.^[a]

4 On the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when no one knew [yet],

5 80 men came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria who had shaved their beards, torn their garments, and gashed themselves, and who were carrying grain and incense offerings to bring to the temple of the Lord.

6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah came out of Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. When he encountered them, he said: "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam!"

7 But when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into^[b] a cistern.

8 However, there were 10 men among them who said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us, for we have hidden treasure in the field-wheat, barley, oil, and honey!" So he stopped and did not kill them along with their companions.

9 Now the cistern where Ishmael had thrown all the corpses of the men he had struck down was a large one^[c] that King Asa had made in the encounter with Baasha king of Israel.^[d] Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled [it] with the slain.

Jeremiah 41:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 41

This chapter relates the event of the conspiracy against Gedaliah Johanan and the princes had informed him of, to which he gave no credit; but it proved true. An account is given of the murder of Gedaliah, and of the Jews and Chaldeans with him; and of the perpetrators of it, Jer 41:1-3; and of the chief of them, Ishmael's treacherous dealing with fourscore men that came from several parts to the house of God to offer sacrifice, who all perished by his hands, excepting ten, Jer 41:4-9; and of the rest of the people at Mizpah being carried away, in order to be captives among the Ammonites, Jer 41:10; and of Johanan, and the rest of the captives, hearing of all this, and coming out to fight with Ishmael; upon which the people deserted him, and he fled to the Ammonites, Jer 41:11-15; and of Johanan and the people settling in the way to Egypt, to flee there on occasion, should the Chaldeans fall on them for what was done to the governor, which they feared, Jer 41:16-18.

Footnotes

• [a]. 2 Kg 25:25
• [b]. Syr; MT reads slaughtered them in
• [c]. LXX; MT reads down by the hand of Gedaliah
• [d]. 1 Kg 15:16-22