Bible Commentaries

^a And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said to him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.

(a) From (Jeremiah 40:2-42:7) it seems to be as a parenthesis and separated matter and there this story begins again and this vision is declared what it was.

Now the LORD hath brought [it], and done according as he hath said: because ye have ^b sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.

(b) God moved this infidel to speak this to declare the great blindness and obstinacy of the Jews who could not feel that which this heathen man confessed.

Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to ^c Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.

(c) Which was a city of Judah.

Now when all the captains of the forces ^d who [were] in the fields, [even] they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

(d) Which were scattered abroad for fear of the Chaldeans.

Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even ^e Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

(e) Who was of the king's blood and later slew him, (Jeremiah 41:2).

Likewise when all the Jews that [were] in ^f Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that [were] in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan;

(f) Which were fed also for fear of the Chaldeans.

And said to him, Dost thou certainly know that ^g Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.

(g) For under the colour of entertaining Ishmael, he sought only to make them destroy one another.

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt ^h not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

(h) Thus the godly who think no harm to others are soonest deceived and never lack such as conspire their destruction.