TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
Yishma'el the son of N'tanyahu went out from Mitzpah to meet them, weeping all along the way; on meeting them, he said to them, "Come to G'dalyahu the son of Achikam."
Berean Standard Bible
And Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When Ishmael encountered the men, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”
American Standard Version
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.
World English Bible Messianic
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
And Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meete them, weeping as he went: and when he met them, he said vnto them, Come to Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam.
Young's Literal Translation
And Ishmael son of Nethaniah goeth forth to meet them, from Mizpah, going on and weeping, and it cometh to pass, at meeting them, that he saith unto them, `Come in unto Gedaliah son of Ahikam.'
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Commentary on Jeremiah 41 verses 1–10
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.
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.
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.
4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It is hard to say which is more astonishing, God's permitting or men's perpetrating such villanies as here we find committed. Such base, barbarous, bloody work is here done by men who by their birth should have been men of honour, by their religion just men, and this done upon those of their own nature, their own nation, their own religion, and now their brethren in affliction, when they were all brought under the power of the victorious Chaldeans, and smarting under the judgments of God, upon no provocation, nor with any prospect of advantage - all done, not only in cold blood, but with art and management. We have scarcely such an instance of perfidious cruelty in all the scripture; so that with John, when he saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, we may well wonder with great admiration. But God permitted it for the completing of the ruin of an unhumbled people, and the filling up of the measure of their judgments, who had filled up the measure of their iniquities. Let it inspire us with an indignation at the wickedness of men and an awe of God's righteousness.
I. Ishmael and his party treacherously killed Gedaliah himself in the first place. Though the king of Babylon had made him a great man, had given him a commission to be governor of the land which he had conquered, though God had made him a good man and a great blessing to his country, and his agency for its welfare was as life from the dead, yet neither could secure him. Ishmael was of the seed royal (Jer 41:1) and therefore jealous of Gedaliah's growing greatness, and enraged that he should merit and accept a commission under the king of Babylon. He had ten men with him that were princes of the king too, guided by the same peevish resentments that he was; these had been with Gedaliah before, to put themselves under his protection (Jer 40:8), and now came again to make him a visit; and they did eat bread together in Mizpah. he entertained them generously, and entertained no jealousy of them, notwithstanding the information given him by Johanan. They pretended friendship to him, and gave him no warning to stand on his guard; he was in sincerity friendly to them, and did all he could to oblige them. But those that did eat bread with him lifted up the heel against him. They did not pick a quarrel with him, but watched an opportunity, when they had him alone, and assassinated him, Jer 41:2.
II. They likewise put all to the sword that they found in arms there, both Jews and Chaldeans, all that were employed under Gedaliah or were in any capacity to revenge his death, Jer 41:3. As if enough of the blood of Israelites had not been shed by the Chaldeans, their own princes here mingle it with the blood of the Chaldeans. The vine-dressers and the husbandmen were busy in the fields, and knew nothing of this bloody massacre; so artfully was it carried on and concealed.
III. Some good honest men, that were going all in tears to lament the desolations of Jerusalem, were drawn in by Ishmael, and murdered with the rest. Observe, 1. Whence they came (Jer 41:5) - from Shechem, Samaria, and Shiloh, places that had been famous, but wee now reduced; they belonged to the ten tribes, but there were some in those countries that retained an affection for the worship of the God of Israel. 2. Whither they were going - to the house of the Lord, the temple at Jerusalem, which, no doubt, they had heard of the destruction of, and were going to pay their respects to its ashes, to see its ruins, that their eye might affect their heart with sorrow for them. They favour the dust thereof, Psa 102:14. They took offerings and incense in their hand, that if they should find any altar there, though it were but an altar of earth, and any priest ready to officiate, they might not be without something to offer; if not, yet they showed their good-will, as Abraham, when he came to the place of the altar, though the altar was gone. The people of God used to go rejoicing to the house of the Lord, but these went in the habit of mourners, with their clothes rent and their heads shaven; for the providence of God loudly called to weeping and mourning, because it was not with the faithful worshippers of God as in months past. 3. How they were decoyed into a fatal snare by Ishmael's malice. Hearing of their approach, he resolved to be the death of them too, so bloodthirsty was he. He seemed as if he hated every one that had the name of an Israelite or the face of an honest man. These pilgrims towards Jerusalem he had a spite to, for the sake of their errand. Ishmael went out to meet them with crocodiles' tears, pretending to bewail the desolations of Jerusalem as much as they; and, to try how they stood affected to Gedaliah and his government, he courted them into the town and found them to have a respect for him, which confirmed him in his resolution to murder them. He said, Come to Gedaliah, pretending he would have them come and live with him, when really he intended that they should come and die with him, Jer 41:6. They had heard such a character of Gedaliah that they were willing enough to be acquainted with him; but Ishmael, when he had them in the midst of the town, fell upon them and slew them (Jer 41:7), and no doubt took the offerings they had and converted them to his own use; for he that would not stick at such a murder would not stick at sacrilege. Notice is taken of his disposing of the dead bodies of these and the rest that he had slain; he tumbled them all into a great pit (Jer 41:7), the same pit that Asa king of Judah had digged long before, either in the city or adjoining to it, when he built or fortified Mizpah (Kg1 15:22), to be a frontier-garrison against Baasha king of Israel and for fear of him, Jer 41:9. Note, Those that dig pits with a good intention know not what bad use they may be put to, one time or other. He slew so many that he could not afford them each a grave, or would not do them so much honour, but threw them all promiscuously into one pit. Among these last that were doomed to the slaughter there were ten that obtained a pardon, by working, not on the compassion, but the covetousness, of those that had them at their mercy, Jer 41:8. They said to Ishmael, when he was about to suck their blood, like an insatiable horseleech, after that of the companions, Slay us not, for we have treasurers in the field, country treasures, large stocks upon the ground, abundance of such commodities as the country affords, wheat and barley, and oil and honey, intimating that they would discover it to him and put him in possession of it all, if he would spare them. Skin for skin, and all that a man has, will he give for his life. This bait prevailed. Ishmael saved them, not for the love of mercy, but for the love of money. Here were riches kept for the owners thereof, not to their hurt (Ecc 5:13) and to cause them to lose their lives (Job 31:39), but to their good and the preserving of their lives. Solomon observes that sometimes the ransom of a man's life is his riches. But those who think thus to bribe death, when it comes with commission, and plead with it, saying, Slay us not, for we have treasures in the field, will find death inexorable and themselves wretchedly deceived.
IV. He carried off the people prisoners. The king's daughters (whom the Chaldeans cared not for troubling themselves with when they had the king's sons) and the poor of the land, the vine-dressers and husband-men, that were committed to Gedaliah's charge, were all led away prisoners towards the country of the Ammonites (Jer 41:10), Ishmael probably intending to make a present of them, as the trophies of his barbarous victory, to the king of that country, that set him on. This melancholy story is a warning to us never to be secure in this world. Worse may be yet to come when we think the worst is over; and that end of one trouble, which we fancy to be the end of all trouble, may prove to be the beginning of another, of a greater. These prisoners thought, Surely the bitterness of death, and of captivity, is past; and yet some died by the sword and others went into captivity. When we think ourselves safe, and begin to be easy, destruction may come that way that we little expect it. There is many a ship wrecked in the harbour. We can never be sure of peace on this side heaven.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–10. Public domain.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 41:6 vividly portrays Ishmael's profound treachery as he intercepts a group of unsuspecting pilgrims. Feigning deep sorrow and weeping, he approaches them from Mizpah, luring them with a false invitation to meet Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor whom Ishmael had already brutally murdered. This chilling verse sets the stage for a horrific act of betrayal and highlights the extreme instability and moral decay plaguing the remnant of Judah in the immediate aftermath of Jerusalem's fall and the assassination of its last legitimate leader.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Irony is powerfully employed in this verse, as Ishmael's outward display of "weeping" directly contradicts his murderous intentions. His feigned sorrow is a calculated performance, creating a stark contrast between appearance and reality. This dramatic irony is heightened for the reader, who is fully aware of Gedaliah's murder (Jeremiah 41:2), while the pilgrims remain tragically oblivious. The invitation, "Come to Gedaliah," is a supreme act of verbal irony, as it is an invitation to their doom, delivered under the guise of hospitality and a supposed shared mourning. The phrase "weeping all along as he went" also functions as foreshadowing, subtly hinting at the emotional manipulation and the tragic outcome that will soon unfold for the pilgrims. This carefully crafted deception underscores the depth of Ishmael's depravity and the pervasive atmosphere of betrayal in post-exilic Judah.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 41:6 serves as a stark theological warning against the insidious nature of deception, particularly when cloaked in apparent piety or compassion. Ishmael's feigned weeping highlights the biblical theme that outward appearances can be profoundly misleading, and that evil often operates under a veneer of goodness. This act of treachery mirrors the broader spiritual warfare where spiritual adversaries disguise themselves to lead astray. The narrative underscores the fragility of human trust and the devastating consequences when it is betrayed, especially within a community already suffering from external pressures. It calls believers to cultivate spiritual discernment, recognizing that not all expressions of sorrow or invitations are genuine, and that true wisdom involves looking beyond superficial displays to the heart's true intentions.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 41:6 forces us to confront the uncomfortable reality of betrayal, even from those who appear to be suffering alongside us. Ishmael's deceptive tears serve as a potent reminder that not all sorrow is genuine, and not all invitations are safe. In our own lives, we encounter situations where appearances can be profoundly misleading, whether in personal relationships, public figures, or even spiritual contexts. This verse challenges us to develop a keen sense of discernment, relying not merely on outward displays of emotion but on the consistent character and fruit of a person's life. It encourages us to pray for wisdom to recognize manipulative tactics and to guard our hearts against those who would exploit our trust for their own malicious ends. Furthermore, it prompts us to examine our own hearts: are we ever tempted to use outward piety or feigned emotion to achieve our own selfish desires? The tragic outcome for the pilgrims underscores the devastating impact of such deception on individuals and communities, urging us to be people of integrity and truth, reflecting the character of God who is utterly truthful and trustworthy.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Ishmael weeping?
Answer: Ishmael's weeping was a calculated act of deception, not genuine sorrow. He had just murdered Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor, and many others in Mizpah (Jeremiah 41:1-3). His feigned tears were a cunning tactic to disarm the unsuspecting pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, making them believe he was mourning the recent devastation or perhaps even Gedaliah's death, thereby luring them into his trap. It was a mask for his murderous intentions, designed to exploit their vulnerability and religious devotion.
Who was Gedaliah and why was he important?
Answer: Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as governor over the remnant of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC (Jeremiah 40:5). He was a righteous and wise leader who sought to bring stability and encourage the people to live peacefully under Babylonian rule (Jeremiah 40:9-10). His importance lay in his role as the last hope for a stable Jewish presence in the land before the final dispersion. His assassination by Ishmael was a catastrophic blow to the surviving community, extinguishing the last vestiges of hope for a peaceful return to life in Judah and leading to further chaos and flight.
What happened to the pilgrims after this encounter?
Answer: Tragically, after Ishmael lured them with his deceptive invitation, he and his men ambushed and slaughtered the pilgrims. Jeremiah 41:7 records that Ishmael and his men killed 70 of the 80 men, throwing their bodies into a large pit. Only ten men were spared because they offered to reveal hidden stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey. This horrific act further solidified Ishmael's treachery and plunged the remnant into deeper chaos, fear, and eventual flight to Egypt, against God's direct command through Jeremiah.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 41:6, with its chilling depiction of Ishmael's deceptive weeping and murderous intent, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the ultimate contrast between false saviors and the true Shepherd of Israel. Ishmael's feigned compassion and treacherous invitation are a stark antithesis to the genuine empathy and self-sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. While Ishmael lured unsuspecting victims to their death with a lie, Jesus, the Lamb of God, willingly laid down His life to rescue humanity from the deception and death wrought by sin. The prophet Jeremiah himself, whose suffering often foreshadowed Christ's, wept genuine tears over the sins of his people (Jeremiah 9:1), a sorrow that finds its ultimate expression in Christ's lament over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). Unlike Ishmael, who brought chaos and destruction, Jesus came to bring life and life more abundantly. He is the Truth who exposes all deception, and His invitation is not to a trap, but to eternal salvation and true peace, offering a secure refuge from all spiritual and physical dangers under His loving care, for He is the faithful and true witness.