The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.
The Thirty-Sixth Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
chains = the two fetters, as in Jeremiah 39:7 .
And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.
the guard. See note on Jeremiah 39:9 .
said. Nebuzar-adan takes all the credit to himself. Compare Jeremiah 39:11 .
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .
evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra'a. App-44 .
Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.
because ye have sinned, &c. Reference to Pentateuch.
And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.
behold. Figure of speech Asterism o s . App-6 .
hand. Some codices, with eight early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "hands".
Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.
Now while he was not yet gone back = And ere yet he could make reply.
Gedaliah. See note on Jeremiah 26:24 , and Compare Jeremiah 39:14 .
Shaphan. See note on 2 Kings 22:3 .
reward = present.
Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.
Mizpah. North of Jerusalem, near Anathoth. Compare Jeremiah 41:5-9 . Joshua 18:26 . 1Sa 7:16 ; 1 Samuel 10:17 , and 1 Kings 15:22 . The scene of the following events: here had been Asa's fortress (Jeremiah 41:9 ); here Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar and Titus got their first view of Jerusalem.
Now when all the captains of the forces which 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 unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;
men. Hebrew pi. of 'enosh. App-14 .
governor. No more attempts to make a king, after Zedekiah's perjury. See Ezekiel 17:15-19 .
children = young children.
poor. Hebrew "poverty", put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for poor people. See Proverbs 6:11 .
Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even 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.
Ishmael. The Massorites ( App-30 ) set their hand to obliterate the Divine names in the case of men who had served to disgrace it. One is ' el , in the compound "Ishmael", which means "whom my El heareth". It is used of five different men, and occurs forty-eight times: twenty times of Hagar's son; twenty-three times of Nethaniah's son in this history; and five times of the other three. On account of his horrible treachery, the memory of which is perpetuated by the fast of the seventh month (Zechariah 7:5 ; Zechariah 8:9 ), the vowel points were changed to obliterate the Divine Name (El): viz. yishma'el, instead of yishma'el, which is not observable in the ordinary English spelling.
sons. Some codices, with Aram, and Septuagint, read "son", as in Jeremiah 40:13 .
Netophathite = a man of Netophah, now Khan Umm Tobah, north of Bethlehem (1 Chronicles 2:54 .Ezra 2:22 .Nehemiah 7:26; Nehemiah 7:26 ).
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.
wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27 .
summer fruits. Hebrew "summer". Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for the fruits gathered in summer.
Likewise when all the Jews that were in 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;
Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.
Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
fields = field (singular)
And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that 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.
slay thee = strike thy soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .
Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?
man. Hebrew ' Ish . App-14 .
gathered = gathered out.
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.
