Jeremiah 41

King James Version

Full text for Jeremiah Chapter 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.

2Then 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.

3Ishmael 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.

4And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew [it],

5That 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.

6And 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.

7And 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.

8But 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.

9Now 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.

10Then 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.

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,

12Then 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.

13Now 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.

14So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.

15But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.

16Then 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:

17And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,

18Because 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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

In the seventh month, Ishmael, of royal descent, treacherously murdered Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor, at Mizpah, along with his Jewish and Chaldean companions. Two days later, he ambushed and slew seventy pilgrims from northern cities, sparing ten for their hidden provisions, and took the remaining people captive. Johanan and his forces pursued Ishmael, rescued the captives, but Ishmael escaped to the Ammonites, leaving Johanan and the people to fear Chaldean retribution and plan their flight to Egypt.

Medium Summary

Ishmael, a man of royal lineage, came to Mizpah with ten men and, despite sharing a meal, assassinated Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Babylon, and all the Jews and Chaldean soldiers with him. Subsequently, Ishmael intercepted eighty pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria who were bringing offerings to the LORD, and, feigning sorrow, lured them into Mizpah where he massacred seventy of them, casting their bodies into a large pit. Ten men were spared after revealing hidden treasures of provisions. Ishmael then took the remaining inhabitants of Mizpah, including the king's daughters, captive, intending to flee to the Ammonites. Johanan the son of Kareah and his captains, hearing of these atrocities, pursued Ishmael to Gibeon, where the captives rejoiced and returned to Johanan. Ishmael, however, escaped with eight men to the Ammonites, leaving Johanan to lead the rescued people towards Bethlehem, with the intention of fleeing to Egypt due to fear of Chaldean reprisal for Gedaliah's murder.

Long Summary

In the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, of the seed royal, arrived at Mizpah with ten men and, in an act of profound treachery, murdered Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. Ishmael's violence extended to slaying all the Jews and Chaldean soldiers who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. Two days after Gedaliah's assassination, before the news had spread, eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, displaying signs of mourning with shaven beards and rent clothes, carrying offerings and incense for the house of the LORD. Ishmael went forth from Mizpah, weeping as he met them, and deceptively invited them to come to Gedaliah. Once within the city, Ishmael and his men brutally slew seventy of these unsuspecting pilgrims, casting their bodies into a large pit that King Asa had originally made. Ten men among the pilgrims were spared when they revealed they possessed hidden treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the fields. Following these massacres, Ishmael carried away captive all the remaining people in Mizpah, including the king's daughters, whom Nebuzaradan had committed to Gedaliah, and departed with the intention of going over to the Ammonites. However, Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces learned of Ishmael's evil deeds. They gathered their men and pursued Ishmael, finding him by the great waters in Gibeon. Upon seeing Johanan and his forces, all the people Ishmael had taken captive rejoiced, turned back, and joined Johanan. Ishmael, with eight men, managed to escape from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites. Johanan then took charge of all the remnant of the people he had recovered from Ishmael, including mighty men of war, women, children, and eunuchs. They departed from Mizpah and settled in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, with the ultimate goal of entering into Egypt, driven by their fear of the Chaldeans' anticipated retaliation for Ishmael's murder of Gedaliah, their appointed governor.

Core Concepts

  • Gedaliah's AssassinationIshmael, of royal lineage, treacherously murdered Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor, along with his Jewish and Chaldean companions at Mizpah. This act destabilized the remnant of Judah.
  • Deceptive Massacre of PilgrimsIshmael lured eighty mourning pilgrims, who were bringing offerings to the LORD, into Mizpah under false pretenses and then brutally slew seventy of them, casting their bodies into a pit. This demonstrated his extreme cruelty and deceit.
  • Ishmael's Captivity and EscapeAfter his atrocities, Ishmael took the remaining inhabitants of Mizpah captive, including the king's daughters, intending to flee to the Ammonites. However, Johanan pursued him, rescued the captives, but Ishmael himself escaped with a small group.
  • Johanan's InterventionJohanan the son of Kareah and his captains confronted Ishmael, leading to the liberation of the captives. Johanan then took responsibility for the rescued people, guiding them towards safety.
  • Fear of Chaldean RetributionThe surviving remnant, led by Johanan, decided to flee to Egypt. Their decision was driven by profound fear of the Chaldeans' inevitable and severe retaliation for the murder of Gedaliah, their appointed governor.
  • The Pit of King AsaAn ancient pit, originally constructed by King Asa for defense, was repurposed by Ishmael as a mass grave for the bodies of those he had slain, highlighting the scale of his violence and the desecration of the land.