Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 41

Introduction

JEREMIAH CHAPTER 41

Ishmael, under a color of friendship, killeth Gedaliah and others, both Jews and Chaldeans, Jeremiah 41:1-9. He purposeth to carry the residue captive to the Ammonites, but they are rescued from him by Johanan, who intendeth to flee into Egypt, Jeremiah 41:10-18.

Verse 1

In the seventh month; that is, three months after the city was taken, Jeremiah 39:2.

Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal; the same Ishmael that came to Gedaliah, Jeremiah 40:8,Jeremiah 40:9, to whom he sware protection; only here we are told that he was of the royal blood, which might both raise his spirits, as having a more legal pretence to the government, and rendered him a fitter instrument for Baalis, the king or queen of the Ammonites, to make use of.

And the princes of the king, even ten men with him; some of the princes, who had escaped the army of the king of Babylon; they and their retinue came in pretended compliment to Gedaliah, who treated them kindly, they dined or supped with him.

Verse 2

These ten men with their retinue fall upon Gedaliah, and barbarously murder him. Their quarrel against him was, that he was deputy governor to the king of Babylon; so desperately hardened were these Jews, that they would not yet see that God had given their country into the hand of the king of Babylon, who having now a right of conquest over them, had authority to set whom he pleased as his viceroy or deputy governor over them, to whom they ought to have yielded all subjection and obedience.

Verse 3

It appeareth from Jeremiah 41:10, that by all the Jews here must be understood only all those who were about the court of Gedaliah, for it is there said that he carried away many that were with him.

Verse 4

That is, no man who lived at any great distance from Mizpah, for Ishmael was concerned what in him lay to keep this slaughter private, for fear the news of it should have reached the ears of the king of Babylon, or the commanders of some of his forces, so as he should not have had time to make his escape.

Verse 5

Samaria was the name both of a city and a province; Shechem was a city within that province, within the limits of the tribe of Ephraim, Joshua 20:7. These places were now inhabited by a mixed people, partly Jews, partly such as the king of Assyria had upon his conquest of the ten tribes brought to inhabit there. From thence came eighty men, who possibly had not heard of the temple being burnt, at least when they came out; or if they had heard of it, yet thought, hearing some Jews were left, that they might have erected some altar for sacrifices; or it may be they brought no beasts, for the text speaks only of incense and offerings; they came with all indications of mourning used in those countries, shaven beards, clothes rent, and having cut themselves in a barbarous fashion used by the heathens, and forbidden the Jews, but yet practised by many of them.

Verse 6

He cometh out weeping, the better to deceive them into his trap, that they might believe he was as they equally affected with God’s dispensations, and inviteth them to the new governor for protection, as if he had been one of his courtiers and friends: by those arts he concealeth his bloody design against them.

Verse 7

When he had thus enticed them into Mizpah, he and his followers slay them, and throw their dead bodies into a pit, with the assistance of those bloody men that were with him.

Verse 8

He slew seventy of them, but ten of them pleading for their lives, urged that they had estates in the country, both of corn, oil, and honey. His covetousness prevailed over his cruelty, he spared their lives to become master of what they had.

Verse 9

The word which we translate

because of ביד signifieth in the hand of Gedaliah, which hath given critics a scope to vary in their notion of it, and to translate it, in the power of, by occasion of, &c. But the learned author of our English Annotations saith the sense of the place is plain enough; Jeremiah 38:10, we have the same term twice, where we have translated it with thee, so here it doubtless signifies those who were with Gedaliah under his power or charge. What pit this was is not so well agreed, that is, upon what occasion made; the text telleth us it was digged by Asa king of Judah, and that it was made for fear of Baasha the king of Israel; but whether it was to receive water, or to hinder Baasha’s coming near some weak part of the city, we are not told, and it is but in vain to guess. We read, 1 Kings 15:22, of Asa’s fortifying Mizpah with the stones of Ramah, but of this pit we read nothing.

Verse 10

By this verse appeareth that all the Jews, Jeremiah 41:3, must be understood in a restrained sense, concerning all those about Gedaliah. For he carried many away as prisoners, as also Zedekiah’s daughters, who either had concealed themselves at the taking of the city, or were left behind by the conquerors, as not like much to hurt them; and having done this, he knew there was no abiding for him long there, so he hasteneth away to the Ammonites, who (as we had it before) employed him in this murder.

Verse 12

These

great waters are supposed to be a lake, or some great pool in Gibeon, the very same that is mentioned 2 Samuel 2:13, where Joab and the servants of David met, the one keeping on one side of the pool, the other on the other side.

Verse 13

To see a probability of their escape out of the hands of this bloody man, who had slain so many of their brethren.

Verse 15

When the people whom Ishmael had carried away prisoners saw Johanan coming with greater forces, they contrived and wheeled about and went to him, only Ishmael and eight men escaped and went to the land of Ammon.

Verse 17

When Johanan had (as was before expressed) recovered the Jews whom Ishmael had carried away as prisoners, he came and dwelt with them in the

habitation of Chimham. Concerning this

Chimham, all that we read in Scripture is 2 Samuel 19:37,2 Samuel 19:38,2 Samuel 19:40; he was the son of Barzillai, whom David would have had to have gone along with him to his court; but he being eighty years old excused himself, and desired that his son Chimham might be accepted in his stead. David agreeth it, and promiseth to do for him whatsoever his father should desire on his behalf: possibly David, having an estate near thereabouts, might give a portion of it to him, which though it returned to the family of David in the year of jubilee, yet from Chimham’s house there might retain the name of the habitation of Chimham. Into those parts Johanan retired, with a further design to go into Egypt.

Verse 18

Here was one slain whom the conqueror Nebuchadnezzar had made governor in the land of Judah, and it was but reasonable for them to think that Nebuchadnezzar would take the affront done to himself, he being constituted governor by him; and though Johanan had nothing to do in that murder, yet he did not know but that the king of Babylon, being ignorant of any parties amongst the Jews, might look upon them, all as guilty who were Jews, and revenge Gedaliah’s blood upon all the remainder of that nation; he therefore chooseth them a habitation for the present, from whence they might in a short time go down into Egypt, which was Johanan’s design, as we shall read in, the next chapter.