TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
Now the pit H953 wherein Ishmael H3458 had cast H7993 all the dead bodies H6297 of the men H582, whom he had slain H5221 because H3027 of Gedaliah H1436, was it which Asa H609 the king H4428 had made H6213 for fear H6440 of Baasha H1201 king H4428 of Israel H3478: and Ishmael H3458 the son H1121 of Nethaniah H5418 filled H4390 it with them that were slain H2491.
Complete Jewish Bible
The cistern in which Yishma'el threw the corpses of the men he had murdered with G'dalyahu was the one Asa the king had made in fear of Ba'asha king of Isra'el; it was this cistern that Yishma'el the son of N'tanyahu filled with the slaughtered men.
Berean Standard Bible
Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he had struck down along with Gedaliah was a large one that King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
American Standard Version
Now the pit wherein Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, by the side of Gedaliah (the same was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel), Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.
World English Bible Messianic
Now the pit in which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had killed, by the side of Gedaliah (the same was who which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel), Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were killed.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast the dead bodies of the men (whom he had slayne because of Gedaliah) is it, which Asa the King had made because of Basha King of Israel, and Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slaine.
Young's Literal Translation
And the pit whither Ishmael hath cast all the carcases of the men whom he hath smitten along with Gedaliah, is that which the king Asa made because of Baasha king of Israel--it hath Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled with the pierced.
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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 41:9 provides a chilling account of Ishmael's horrific act of disposing of the bodies of the men he had treacherously murdered, including Gedaliah and his companions. This verse reveals that the mass grave was an ancient cistern, originally constructed by King Asa of Judah centuries prior for defensive purposes against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael's filling of this pit with the slain vividly underscores the profound depths of depravity, chaos, and the tragic perversion of purpose that engulfed the remnant of Judah following the Babylonian conquest, transforming a structure once built for security into a monument of death.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Jeremiah 41:9 is situated within a deeply unsettling narrative in the book of Jeremiah, specifically following the devastating fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. Chapters 40-44 describe the tumultuous period immediately after the Babylonians appointed Gedaliah as governor over the remaining Jewish population. Gedaliah, a wise and peace-loving leader, sought to establish stability and encouraged the people to settle and serve the Babylonian king, promising them well-being if they remained in the land (Jeremiah 40:9-10). However, Ishmael, a member of the royal family and a conspirator with the Ammonites, harbored deep-seated resentment and ambition. He brutally assassinated Gedaliah, along with Jewish and Babylonian soldiers, at Mizpah (Jeremiah 41:1-3). The verse in question then describes Ishmael's attempt to conceal his heinous crime, which included the murder of eighty pilgrims coming to offer sacrifices, by casting the bodies into a large, pre-existing pit (Jeremiah 41:4-7). This act further demonstrates his ruthlessness and the extent of his depravity in the aftermath of the initial murders, revealing a desperate attempt to hide the evidence of his atrocities.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical backdrop is the immediate post-exilic period, circa 586 BC, a time of immense national trauma, political vacuum, and social disintegration for Judah. The Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, deporting much of the population to Babylon. Gedaliah's appointment represented the last vestige of Jewish self-governance under Babylonian oversight, a fragile hope for the remnant to rebuild. The pit mentioned in the verse has a much older history, dating back to the reign of King Asa of Judah (circa 913-873 BC). Asa constructed various fortifications and defensive measures, including this pit, during his conflict with Baasha, king of Israel (1_Kings 15:16-22). Such pits were typically deep, bottle-shaped cisterns used for water collection in arid regions, or sometimes repurposed as dungeons or storage. Their depth and obscurity made them suitable, though horrifying, for disposing of bodies to conceal a crime, as Ishmael did. This act reflects the complete breakdown of societal order, moral norms, and the sanctity of life in a land devastated by war and reeling from divine judgment.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several key themes within Jeremiah and the broader Old Testament narrative. Firstly, it highlights the depravity of the human heart and the depths of treachery, even among those who should have been united in a time of national crisis. Ishmael's actions exemplify the self-serving ambition, moral decay, and murderous violence that plagued Judah, mirroring the very sins that led to the exile and the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:5-7). Secondly, it underscores the theme of consequences of sin and disobedience. Ishmael's violence further destabilized an already fragile remnant, leading to widespread fear and ultimately compelling many to flee to Egypt against God's explicit command through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:19-22). This act of rebellion against God's word and His appointed leader (Gedaliah) brought further judgment upon the people. Thirdly, the re-purposing of Asa's pit for such a gruesome act illustrates the perversion of purpose, where structures built for security and life are transformed into instruments of death and concealment, symbolizing the spiritual barrenness and moral corruption of the nation. This dark event serves as a stark reminder of the tragic outcomes when a people forsakes the Lord and succumbs to internal strife (Jeremiah 2:13).
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 41:9 employs several powerful literary devices to heighten the impact of its grim narrative. Irony is profoundly evident, as a pit originally constructed by King Asa for the noble purpose of defense and security against an external enemy (Baasha) is perverted into a mass grave by an internal enemy (Ishmael). This transformation underscores the profound moral decay within Judah, where internal treachery became more destructive than external threats. Symbolism is also at play; the pit itself becomes a potent symbol of the nation's descent into chaos, violence, and treachery. What was once a source of protection or water (life) becomes a receptacle for death and defilement, reflecting the spiritual barrenness and moral corruption of the remnant. Furthermore, the detailed, almost clinical description of the act, coupled with the precise historical reference to King Asa, creates a strong sense of historical continuity and foreshadowing. The past actions of Asa provide the physical setting for present atrocities, while Ishmael's violence foreshadows the continued suffering and ultimate flight of the remnant to Egypt, against God's will, demonstrating a tragic cycle of disobedience and its consequences.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 41:9 stands as a stark testament to the profound consequences of sin, particularly treachery and violence, within a community already reeling from divine judgment. It illustrates how human depravity, unchecked by God's truth, can lead to the perversion of purpose and the escalation of suffering. The pit, originally a symbol of security and provision, becomes a horrifying monument to human cruelty, reflecting the spiritual barrenness and moral decay that plagued the remnant of Judah. This event serves as a grim reminder that external threats are often compounded by internal corruption, and that rebellion against God's appointed order, whether political or spiritual, inevitably leads to further chaos and death. The verse highlights the destructive nature of unchecked ambition and the deep brokenness of humanity apart from divine grace.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 41:9, though a dark historical account, offers profound lessons for contemporary reflection. It reveals the terrifying potential for human evil to corrupt even the most basic structures and intentions, turning what was built for good into a tool for destruction. This calls us to a vigilant awareness of the subtle ways sin can infiltrate and pervert our intentions, our relationships, and even our institutions. Ishmael's act of treachery and mass murder demonstrates the devastating ripple effect of individual sin on an entire community, plunging an already fragile society into deeper despair and fear. It challenges us to consider the far-reaching consequences of our choices, recognizing that personal acts of rebellion or malice can have widespread and destructive impacts, eroding trust and fostering chaos. Ultimately, this verse serves as a sober reminder of humanity's desperate need for divine intervention and transformation, highlighting the brokenness that only God's grace can truly heal and the importance of seeking His will even in the midst of turmoil. We are called to be agents of peace and reconciliation, not instruments of further division and destruction.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the significance of the pit being "made for fear of Baasha king of Israel"?
Answer: The pit's original purpose, made by King Asa, highlights its strategic and defensive importance in an earlier era of Israelite history. During Asa's reign (circa 9th century BC), there was ongoing conflict between the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. Baasha, king of Israel, had fortified Ramah, a strategic location just north of Judah's border, to prevent his subjects from defecting to Asa's kingdom and to control access (1_Kings 15:17). In response, Asa formed an alliance with Ben-Hadad of Aram, who attacked Baasha, forcing him to abandon his fortification efforts at Ramah. Asa then dismantled Baasha's fortifications at Ramah and used the materials to build up his own defenses at Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah (1_Kings 15:22). The pit in Jeremiah 41:9 was likely a large cistern or defensive structure within Mizpah, built as part of Asa's efforts to secure his border and protect his people against the threat from Baasha. Its ancient, defensive origin stands in stark contrast to its later, gruesome use by Ishmael, underscoring the tragic perversion of purpose and the profound moral decay that had afflicted the nation.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 41:9, with its grim depiction of death, treachery, and the perversion of purpose, finds its ultimate fulfillment and reversal in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The pit, filled with the bodies of the slain, represents the depths of human depravity and the reign of death that sin brings. Humanity, caught in the grip of sin, is metaphorically "slain" and cast into a pit of spiritual death, unable to escape its own corruption or the consequences of its rebellion against God. However, Christ, the true King, unlike the treacherous Ishmael or even the well-intentioned but limited King Asa, entered into the very pit of death and despair on our behalf. His crucifixion was the ultimate act of being "slain" for the sins of the world, bearing the full weight of human depravity and its consequences (Isaiah 53:5-6). Yet, unlike the victims in Asa's pit, Christ did not remain in the grave; He conquered death and rose again on the third day, emptying the pit of its power and offering resurrection life to all who believe (1_Corinthians 15:55-57). Where Ishmael filled a pit with death, Christ emptied the grave, offering new life and eternal hope. He transforms the instruments of death and despair into pathways to redemption, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of God's saving plan and offering true security and peace where human treachery only brought chaos and fear (John 14:27). Through Him, the perversion of purpose is undone, and death itself is swallowed up in victory.