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Jeremiah 40

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Jeremiah Released by the Babylonians 1–6

1
The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, that were carried away captive unto Babylon. ​
2
And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, Jehovah thy God pronounced this evil upon this place; ​
3
and Jehovah hath brought it, and done according as he spake: because ye have sinned against Jehovah, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.
4
And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which are upon thy 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 right unto thee to go, thither go. ​
5
Now while he was not yet gone back, Go back then, said he, 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 right unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a present, and let him go. ​
6
Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land. ​

The Remnant Gathers under Gedaliah 7–12

7
Now when all the captains of the forces that 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 poorest of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; ​
8
then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, to wit, 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 the Maacathite, they and their men. ​
9
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. ​
10
As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans that shall 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. ​
11
Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, 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; ​
12
then 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. ​

Warning of Ishmael’s Assassination Plot 13–16

13
Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
14
and said unto him, Dost thou know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take thy life? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not. ​
15
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 take thy life, that all the Jews that are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish? ​
16
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. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 40

Verse 1

bound in chains among all that were carried away — Ramah is the Benjamite town of Josh 18:25, where Jer 31:15 placed the weeping, 'A voice was heard in Ramah' (quoted in Matt 2:17–18). Jer 39:14 says Jeremiah was committed to Gedaliah; this verse adds that he had been bound among the captives until Nebuzaradan released him. 'Chains' (ziqqim) occurs only in vv.1 and 4.

Verse 2

The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil — A Babylonian officer names the LORD and says that he spoke the judgment. Verse 3 adds 'because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice'. It is the answer the nations were told they would give, 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land?' (Deut 29:24–25; Jer 22:8–9).

Verse 4

all the land is before thee — The offer is Babylon's, with a choice: go to Babylon, where 'I will look well unto thee', or stay, 'whither it seemeth good and convenient'. 'Before thee' is Abram's word to Lot, 'Is not the whole land before thee?' (Gen 13:9), and Abimelech's to Abraham (Gen 20:15). 'Look well' repeats the king's order in Jer 39:12.

Verse 5

victuals and a reward — Aruchah, a fixed ration, is the word for the 'continual diet' the king of Babylon later gave Jehoiachin (2 Ki 25:30; Jer 52:34). The two offered ways are Gedaliah's governorship of 'the cities of Judah' or any place he chose, and Jeremiah took the first (v.6). The captain 'let him go'.

Verse 6

Mizpah — Gedaliah's seat was a town of Benjamin (Josh 18:26) with a history of assemblies: Israel gathered there in the days of the judges (Judg 20:1) and again at Samuel's call (1 Sam 7:5–6). Jeremiah 'dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land' rather than go to Babylon (v.4).

Verse 7

the poor of the land — Dallah names the poorest of the people, those left behind when the rest were taken (2 Ki 25:12; Jer 52:16). They are committed to Gedaliah together with 'men, and women, and children'. The captains who had been 'in the fields', the open country, hear that a governor has been set over the remnant.

Verse 8

Ishmael the son of Nethaniah — The captains come to Mizpah with their men, and the list is that of 2 Ki 25:23, with Jonathan and the sons of Ephai added. Ishmael is later said to be 'of the seed royal' (Jer 41:1). Two of the men come from named places: the Netophathite, from Netophah beside Bethlehem (Ezra 2:21–22), and the son of a Maachathite, from the people of Maachah (Deut 3:14).

Verse 9

Fear not to serve the Chaldeans — Gedaliah's oath repeats the counsel Jeremiah gave from the first: the nations that serve Babylon 'will I let remain still in their own land' (Jer 27:11), and 'it shall be well unto thee' (Jer 38:20). 'Well' is yatab, to be good, the verb of the promise made to the remnant.

Verse 10

to serve the Chaldeans — The 'serve' of v.9 is abad, but here the Hebrew is amad, 'to stand before': Gedaliah will stay at Mizpah to meet the Chaldeans who come, as one who stands before a ruler. The people are told to gather 'wine, and summer fruits, and oil', the harvest of the land, and to live in the cities they have taken.

Verse 11

in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom — These neighbours had given refuge to the fleeing. Isaiah had asked Moab, 'Let mine outcasts dwell with thee' (Isa 16:4), and Edom, Moab and Ammon stand together in Jeremiah's list of the nations (Jer 25:21). The news of a governor brings Jews back from 'all the countries'.

Verse 12

returned out of all places whither they were driven — 'Driven' is nadach, the verb of the promise of gathering in Deut 30:4, 'If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee'. They gathered 'wine and summer fruits very much', as Gedaliah had said. Jer 43:5 names these same returned Jews.

Verse 14

Baalis the king of the Ammonites — Johanan's warning is that Ishmael has been sent 'to slay thee', literally to smite his nephesh, his life. The plot is carried out in Jer 41:2, where Ishmael 'smote Gedaliah… with the sword, and slew him'. 'Believed them not' uses aman, the verb of belief and trust.

Verse 15

secretly — Johanan offers to kill Ishmael so that 'no man shall know it'. The reason he gives is the remnant itself: that 'all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered'. 'Scattered' is puts, the verb of the scattering among the nations in Deut 30:3. The remnant in Judah is the one the LORD had promised to gather.

Verse 16

thou speakest falsely — The charge is sheqer, a falsehood. The same words are thrown by Johanan himself at Jeremiah in Jer 43:2, 'Thou speakest falsely', when the LORD's word forbids going to Egypt. Gedaliah's answer to Johanan here proves wrong in Jer 41:2, where Ishmael does what Johanan said he would.