Jer. 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.
Jer. 41:2 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 governor over the land.
Jer. 41:3 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.
This chapter continues in a chronological flow from the previous one. Just a few months later, Ishmael and ten other recognized leaders among the men presented themselves before Gedaliah. As they were eating, Ishmael and the ten men with him attacked Gedaliah and killed him. Point is made that they were killing the man that Nebuchadnezzar had appointed to serve as governor in Judah. They also killed all the other Jews in attendance as well as the Babylonian soldiers that had been stationed there.
Jer. 41:4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
Jer. 41:5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.
Jer. 41:6 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.
Jer. 41:7 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.
Jer. 41:8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
Gedaliah’s death remained unknown on the next day. On that day 80 men were headed from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria to the site of the “house of the LORD.” The tabernacle had been located at Shiloh, and the men evidently still considered it to be a holy location.
The appearance of the men declared them to be in mourning, and they were carrying offerings and incense; one would assume they were mourning the destruction of the temple as well as the loss of their people and their sovereignty as a nation. Ishmael goes out to meet them, appearing to be in sympathy with them, and invites them to come before the governor. They comply; but once they entered the city, Ishmael and his co-conspirators killed them and threw them in a pit.
It seems that 10 of the 80 begged for their lives and offered to give them their treasures of the field—wheat, barley, oil and honey. For some reason Ishmael spared their lives. He could just as easily have killed them and taken their treasures anyway. Some commentators are of the opinion that these men had hidden these treasures in the field in light of precarious times and that was the reason he spared them.
Jer. 41:9 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.
Jer. 41:10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s 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.
We are now told that the cistern Ishmael used for disposing of the dead bodies was one that King Asa had made in response to a siege against Judah by Baasha, the King of the Northern Kingdom.
Then we are told that Ishmael took the rest of the people in Mizpah, including the king’s daughters, as captives to Ammon. We know that Jeremiah had chosen to stay with Gedaliah, so it would seem that he would have been one of these captives.
Jer. 41:11 ¶ But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
Jer. 41:12 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.
When Johanan and his followers heard what Ishmael had done, they headed out to overtake him and did so at the great pool of Gibeon—about a mile outside of Mizpah.
Jer. 41:13 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.
Jer. 41:14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.
Jer. 41:15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.
When Johanan and his men showed up, the captives eagerly turned to follow him. It would seem that Johanan’s forces must have outnumbered those following Ishmael. In the process, Ishmael and eight other men escaped and went to the Ammonites.
Jer. 41:16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:
Jer. 41:17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,
Jer. 41:18 Because of the Chaldeans: 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 governor in the land.
Johanan proceeded to lead the group following him, including the captives from Mizpah, to Egypt by way of Chimham near Bethlehem. He disregarded Gedaliah’s advice to submit to the Babylonians. They were evidently afraid that they would be held accountable for his death. Again, they were disregarding God’s promise that those who submitted to the Babylonians would not be killed.
A verse in Proverbs is pertinent to this section of scripture.
Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Jer. 42:1 ¶ Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
Jer. 42:2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
Jer. 42:3 That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
This chapter seems to continue in chronological flow from the last, so I would assume they are still at Chimham. It becomes clear at this point that Jeremiah is part of the group. All the recognized leaders of the people in the group came to Jeremiah and asked him to seek God’s guidance for what they should do next. They appear to be humble in light of making this request and in identifying themselves as a small remnant.
Of note is the fact that they recognize Jeremiah as God’s mouthpiece—and wouldn’t they seem a bit stupid not to in light of recent events. It’s also important to note that they wanted Jeremiah to ask “his” God on their behalf; they did not refer to “their” God.
Jer. 42:4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.
Jeremiah agrees to seek God’s direction on their behalf. He also reminds them that it is “their” God—whether they choose to accept Him as such or not. When the answer comes, he will share everything he is told with them; he will not withhold one iota of the answer.
Jer. 42:5 Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.
Jer. 42:6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.
Maintaining a position of humility, they call YHWH as their witness that they will be obedient to what he says—even if they don’t like it. In their hearts they know that obedience equals blessing. They also acknowledge God as “their” God.
Jer. 42:7 ¶ And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
Jer. 42:8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
Jer. 42:9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
Jer. 42:10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
Jer. 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
Jer. 42:12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.
Ten days later the LORD gives Jeremiah an answer. Jeremiah calls a meeting of the whole group—from the least to the greatest. He tells them that the God of Israel has given them an answer. If they will stay in Judah, He will bless them and protect them. They need not fear the king of Babylon because He will deliver them out of his hand. He will show them mercy and cause Nebuchadnezzar to show them mercy and allow them to return to their homes.
Jer. 42:13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
Jer. 42:14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
Jer. 42:15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
Jer. 42:16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.
Jer. 42:17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
If, however, they choose to go to Egypt in disobedience to the LORD according to their own reasoning of what seems to be the best thing to do, the LORD will judge them. They fear retribution from Babylon at the point of the sword; they will experience destruction at the point of the sword in Egypt. They fear going hungry because of the lack of abundant harvest in Judah; they will experience the hunger of famine in Egypt. Those who are determined to take refuge in Egypt will die in Egypt. Point is also made that these things will happen to them as an act of judgment from Almighty God.
Jer. 42:18 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.
This section seems to be Jeremiah’s final words of warning in light of their decision to rebel against God once again. He declares that as the inhabitants of Jerusalem experienced God’s declared judgment against them, they will just as surely experience God’s fury poured out in judgment on them once they enter Egypt. The wording seems to indicate that once they enter Egypt they have crossed the point of no return. At that point they become (from the Hebrew):
An execration - cursed
An astonishment - ruined
A curse - contemptible
A reproach – disgraced and shameful
Emphasis is made that they will never be allowed to return to Judah.
Jer. 42:19 The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
Jer. 42:20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will doit.
Jer. 42:21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.
Jer. 42:22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.
Jeremiah also emphasizes that they have been fully warned of the consequences of going into Egypt. He then accuses them of misrepresenting the sincerity of their desire to follow God’s direction when they came to him asking for prayer. Though they promised to be obedient, they had chosen to totally disregard God’s instruction. Because of their disobedience they would die in Egypt. Jeremiah emphasizes that they are acting according to their own desires and not according to God’s desire for them.
This is truly an amazing bit of scripture. God had shown Himself true and faithful to His word in every possible way throughout Israel’s history. Even in light of such recent history, they still chose to disobey Him. They chose disobedience and destruction instead of obedience and blessing.
Sometimes I can’t help but think, “How stupid can you get?” But then I have to ask myself a very sobering question—What does my life reveal when it comes to pursuing my desires vs. God’s desires?