Matthew Poole and continuators on Jeremiah 41

1 NOw it came to pass in the seventh month , that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama of the seed royal , and the princes of the king, even ten men with him , came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah .

That is three moneths after the City was taken, chap. 39.2.

The same Ishmael that came to Gedaliah, ver. 8.9. 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 rendred him a fitter instrument, for Baalis the King or Queen of the Ammonites to make use of;

some of the Princes, who had escaped the Army of the King of Babylon, they and their Retinue came in pretended complement to Gedaliah.

Who treated them kindly, they dined or supped with him.

Marginal references: King. 25.25.

2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him , whom the king of Babylon had made governour over the land .

These ten men with their retinue fall upon Gedaliah and barbarously murder him.

Their quarrel against him was, that he was Deputy-Governour to the King of Babylon, so desperately hardned were these Jews, they would not yet see that God had given their Countrey 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 Vice Roy or Deputy Governour over them to whom they ought to have yielded all sujection and obedience.

3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him , even with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.

It appeareth from ver. 10. that by all the Iews here must be understood onely all those who were about the Court of Gedaliah, for it is there said that he carried away many that were with him.

4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah and no man knew it ,

That is, no man who lived at any great distance from Mizpah, for Ishm[illegible: 1 letter]el was concerned what in him lay to keep this slaughter private for fear the newes 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.

5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shilo, and from Samaria , even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves , with offerings and incense in their hands to bring them to the house of the LORD .

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, Ios. 20.7. These places were now inhabited by a mixt 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 80 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 Iews were left, that they might have erected some Altar for Sacrifices, or it may be they brought no beasts.

For the Text speaks onely 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.

6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, went forth from Mizpah to meet them weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass as he met them, he said unto them, come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam .

He cometh out weeping, the better to deceive them into his trap, that they might believe he was as they equally affected with Gods dispensations, and inviteth them to the new Governour for protection; as if he had been one of his Courtiers, and Friends; by those arts he concealeth his bloody design against them.

Marginal references: Heb. in goin[illegible: 1 letter], and weeping.

7 And it was so when they came into the midst of the city that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him .

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.

8 But ten men were found amongst them, that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not, for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barly, and of oyl, and of honey: So he forbare, and slew them not amongst their brethren .

He slew 70 of them, but ten of them pleading for their lives urged that they had Estates in the Country, both of Corn, Oyl and Hony. His covetousness prevailed over his cruelty, he spared their lives to become master of what they had.

9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men (whom he had slain because of Gedaliah ) was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel, and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, filled it with them that were slain .

The word which we translate because of [non-Latin text not transcribed] signifieth in the hand of Gedaliah, which hath given Criticks 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, chap. 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 i[illegible: 1 letter] upon what occasion made, the Text telleth us it was digged by Asa King of Iudah, 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 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.

Marginal references: Or, near G[illegible: 1 letter] daliah.; Heb. by the hand or by the side of Gedali[illegible: 2 letters] ▪

10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people, that were in Mizpah, even the kings daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites .

By this verse appeareth that All the Iews, ver. 3. must be understood in a restrained sense concerning all those about Gedaliah. For he carried many away as Prisoners, as also Zedekiahs 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 hastneth away to the Ammonites, who (as we had it before) imployed him in this murder.

12 Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon .

These great waters are supposed to be a Lake or some great Pool in Gibeon, the very same that is mentioned, 2 Sam. 2.13. where Ioab and the Servants of David met, the one keeping on one side of the Pool, the other on the other side.

13 Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad .

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

15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites .

When the people whom I[illegible: 1 letter]hmael had carried away Prisoners saw Iohanan coming with greater Forces, they contrived and wheeled about and went to him, onely Ishmael and eight men which escaped and went to the Land of Ammon.

17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt .

When Iohanan 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 Sam. 19.37, 38, 40. he was the son of Barzillai, whom David would have had to have gone along with him to his Court, but he being 80 years old excused himself, and desired that his son Chimham might be accepted in his stead, v. 38. David agreeth it, and promiseth him, and promised 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 Iohanan retired with a further design to go into Egypt.

18 Because of the Caldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governour in the land .

Here was one slain whom the Conquerour Nebuchadnezzar had made Governour in the Land of Iudah, and it was but reasonable for them to think that Nebuchadnezzar would take the affront done to himself, he being constituted Governour by him, and though Iohanan 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 Ishmaels blood upon all the remainder of that Nation, he therefore chuseth them an habitation for the present, from whence they might in a short time go down into Egypt, which was Iohanan's design as we shall read in the next Chapter.