Jeremiah / Chapter 41

Jeremiah 41

18 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Jeremiah 41 records the assassination of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the Babylonian-appointed governor over the remnant in Judah. Ishmael son of Nethaniah, of royal blood, comes to Gedaliah at Mizpah with ten men and murders him along with the Judeans and Chaldean soldiers present. The next day, before anyone knows of the assassination, eighty men arrive from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria in mourning, bearing grain offerings and incense for the house of the LORD. Ishmael lures them inside and slaughters most of them, sparing ten who reveal hidden stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey. Ishmael throws the bodies into a large cistern that King Asa had built during his fortification against Baasha of Israel. Ishmael then takes captive all the remaining people at Mizpah, including the king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan had entrusted to Gedaliah, and sets out toward the Ammonites. Johanan son of Kareah and the other military commanders hear of the atrocity, pursue Ishmael, and overtake him at the great pool in Gibeon. The captive people rally to Johanan, but Ishmael escapes with eight men to the Ammonites. Johanan and the remnant, now terrified of Babylonian reprisal for Gedaliah's death, settle near Bethlehem, preparing to flee to Egypt.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The assassination of Gedaliah is one of the most consequential political murders in biblical history. It extinguished the last ember of self-governance in Judah and set in motion the flight to Egypt that Jeremiah had explicitly warned against. The scene of the eighty mourners from the former northern kingdom — beards shaved, clothes torn, bodies gashed — traveling to offer worship at the destroyed Temple site reveals that even after 586 BCE, pilgrims still came to Jerusalem's ruins. Ishmael's massacre of these worshipers is gratuitous evil: he kills men coming to mourn. The cistern of Asa (v.9) connects this atrocity to the northern-southern conflict centuries earlier — a defensive fortification now becomes a mass grave. The Fast of Gedaliah (Tsom Gedaliah), observed on the third of Tishrei, commemorates this event as one of the four fasts of Jewish tradition (Zechariah 8:19).

Translation Friction

Ishmael's motive is not fully explained. He is of royal blood (min-zera ha-melukhah), which may suggest dynastic resentment against a non-Davidic governor, but the text also notes that Baalis king of Ammon sent him (40:14). The combination of royal pretension and foreign manipulation makes him simultaneously a political assassin and a foreign agent. We have preserved the narrator's restraint — the text does not psychologize Ishmael but simply records his actions. The ten men who buy their lives with hidden food stores (v.8) raise a moral question the text does not resolve: is their survival pragmatic wisdom or complicity?

Connections

Gedaliah's assassination parallels the account in 2 Kings 25:25-26 but with far greater detail. The flight toward Egypt (v.17) sets up chapters 42-44 and fulfills the ironic reversal Jeremiah has been warning about: the remnant that survived Babylon's judgment will now voluntarily return to Egypt. The cistern of Asa connects to 1 Kings 15:22, where Asa fortified Mizpah against Baasha. The mourners from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria represent the former northern kingdom — their pilgrimage to the destroyed Temple shows the persistence of worship even after catastrophe. Ishmael's escape to the Ammonites connects to 40:14, where Baalis king of Ammon had commissioned the assassination. **Tradition comparisons:** The Septuagint preserves a significantly different text tradition for Jeremiah. MT ch. 41 = LXX ch. 48. See the [LXX Jeremiah comparison](/lxx-jeremiah/41).

Jeremiah 41:1

וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בָּ֣א יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בֶּן־נְ֠תַנְיָ֠ה בֶּן־אֱלִישָׁמָ֞ע מִזֶּ֤רַע הַמְּלוּכָה֙ וְרַבֵּ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וַעֲשָׂרָ֥ה אֲנָשִׁ֖ים אִתּ֑וֹ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָ֤הוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם֙ הַמִּצְפָּ֔תָה וַיֹּ֨אכְל֥וּ שָׁ֛ם לֶ֖חֶם יַחְדָּ֥ו בַּמִּצְפָּֽה׃

In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, of royal blood, along with officers of the king and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. They ate bread together there at Mizpah.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The seventh month is Tishrei (September-October 586 BCE), only two months after the destruction of Jerusalem. The phrase min-zera ha-melukhah ('of the seed of royalty') establishes Ishmael as a Davidic descendant, giving him a dynastic claim against the non-royal Gedaliah. The shared meal — va-yokhelu sham lechem yachdav ('they ate bread together there') — is a covenant act of hospitality and trust. To murder a man with whom you have eaten bread is a violation of the most fundamental social bond in the ancient Near East.
Jeremiah 41:2

וַיָּ֨קָם יִשְׁמָעֵ֤אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה֙ וַעֲשֶׂ֨רֶת הָאֲנָשִׁ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־הָי֣וּ אִתּ֗וֹ וַיַּכּ֞וּ אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֤הוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם֙ בֶּן־שָׁפָ֔ן בַּחֶ֕רֶב וַיָּ֣מֶת אֹת֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־הִפְקִ֥יד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah rose up with the ten men who were with him and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan with the sword, killing him — the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator emphasizes the enormity of the act by reciting Gedaliah's full lineage (son of Ahikam son of Shaphan — from a family that had protected Jeremiah, 26:24) and his appointment by the king of Babylon. To kill Gedaliah is to strike against the only remaining political order in Judah and to invite Babylonian retaliation upon the entire remnant.
Jeremiah 41:3

וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־הָי֨וּ אִתּ֧וֹ אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֛הוּ בַּמִּצְפָּ֖ה וְאֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִמְצְאוּ֙ שָׁ֔ם אֵ֖ת אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃

Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with the Chaldean soldiers who were stationed there.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The massacre extends beyond Gedaliah to include all the Judeans at Mizpah and the Chaldean garrison. The killing of Babylonian soldiers makes this not merely a political assassination but an act of rebellion against Babylon itself — guaranteeing reprisal against whoever remains in the land.
Jeremiah 41:4

וַיְהִ֗י בַּיּוֹם֙ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י לְהָמִ֖ית אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֑הוּ וְאִ֖ישׁ לֹ֥א יָדָֽע׃

On the second day after the killing of Gedaliah — before anyone knew of it —

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ve-ish lo yada ('and no man knew') creates dramatic irony: the reader knows what the arriving pilgrims do not. The narrative slows to set up the next atrocity with terrible suspense.
Jeremiah 41:5

וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ אֲ֠נָשִׁ֠ים מִשְּׁכֶ֨ם מִשִּׁל֜וֹ וּמִשֹּׁ֣מְר֗וֹן שְׁמֹנִ֣ים אִישׁ֮ מְגֻלְּחֵ֣י זָקָן֒ וּקְרֻעֵ֣י בְגָדִ֗ים וּמִתְגֹּֽדְדִים֙ וּמִנְחָ֣ה וּלְבוֹנָ֔ה בְּיָדָ֕ם לְהָבִ֖יא בֵּ֥ית יְהוָֽה׃

eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria with their beards shaved, their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, carrying grain offerings and incense to bring to the house of the LORD.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. These pilgrims come from the former northern kingdom — Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria — cities associated with Israel rather than Judah. Their mourning rituals technically violate Leviticus 19:28 and Deuteronomy 14:1, which prohibit gashing the body for the dead, but the narrator records them without condemnation. Their destination — beit YHWH ('the house of the LORD') — is the destroyed Temple, yet they bring minchah (grain offering) and levonah (incense) as if it still stands. Worship persists even at ruins.
Jeremiah 41:6

וַיֵּצֵ֣א יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֗ה לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִן־הַמִּצְפָּ֔ה הָלֹ֥ךְ הָלֹ֖ךְ וּבֹכֶ֑ה וַיְהִ֗י כִּפְגֹ֤שׁ אֹתָם֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם בֹּ֖אוּ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָ֥הוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָֽם׃

Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he walked. When he met them he said, 'Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.'

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Ishmael's weeping (halokh halokh u-vokheh, 'walking, walking, and weeping') is feigned grief designed to lure the pilgrims into the trap. The use of Gedaliah's name as bait — 'Come to Gedaliah' — is doubly cruel since Gedaliah is already dead. Ishmael weaponizes the pilgrims' trust and mourning.
Jeremiah 41:7

וַיְהִ֗י כְּבוֹאָם֙ אֶל־תּ֣וֹךְ הָעִ֔יר וַיִּשְׁחָטֵ֣ם יִשְׁמָעֵ֧אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֛ה אֶל־תּ֥וֹךְ הַבּ֖וֹר ה֣וּא וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים אֲשֶׁר־אִתּֽוֹ׃

When they entered the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb va-yishchatem ('he slaughtered them') uses the same root (shachat) used for sacrificial slaughter. These men came carrying grain offerings and incense for the house of the LORD; they themselves become victims of slaughter. The irony is devastating. The bodies are cast into a bor (cistern/pit), identified in verse 9 as the cistern of Asa.
Jeremiah 41:8

וַעֲשָׂרָ֨ה אֲנָשִׁ֜ים נִמְצְאוּ־בָ֗ם וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ֙ אֶל־יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל אַל־תְּמִתֵ֕נוּ כִּי־יֶשׁ־לָ֤נוּ מַטְמֹנִים֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה חִטִּ֥ים וּשְׂעֹרִ֖ים וְשֶׁ֣מֶן וּדְבָ֑שׁ וַיֶּחְדַּ֕ל וְלֹ֥א הֱמִיתָ֖ם בְּת֥וֹךְ אֲחֵיהֶֽם׃

But ten men among them said to Ishmael, 'Do not kill us, for we have hidden stores in the field — wheat, barley, oil, and honey.' So he relented and did not kill them along with their companions.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The ten survivors buy their lives with matmonim (hidden stores/treasures) — supplies cached in the fields. The four staples listed (wheat, barley, oil, and honey) represent significant agricultural wealth. Ishmael's calculation is purely mercenary: these ten are worth more alive than dead. The phrase be-tokh acheihem ('among their brothers/companions') reminds the reader that the seventy dead were these men's brothers.
Jeremiah 41:9

וְהַבּ֗וֹר אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִשְׁלִ֤יךְ שָׁם֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל אֵ֚ת כָּל־פִּגְרֵ֣י הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִכָּ֖ה בְּיַד־גְּדַלְיָ֑הוּ ה֗וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֜ה הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אָסָ֗א מִפְּנֵי֙ בַּעְשָׁ֣א מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֹת֗וֹ מִלֵּ֛א יִשְׁמָעֵ֥אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֖ה חֲלָלִֽים׃

The cistern into which Ishmael threw all the bodies of the men he had killed was the one King Asa had constructed as a defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

בּוֹר bor
"cistern" — pit, cistern, well, dungeon

The same word used for the cistern into which Jeremiah himself was thrown (38:6). A water-storage structure repurposed as a mass grave. Asa built it during fortification of Mizpah against Israel's northern king Baasha (1 Kings 15:22).

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator pauses to identify this cistern historically: it was built by King Asa (r. c. 911-870 BCE) during his fortification of Mizpah against Baasha king of Israel (1 Kings 15:22). A defensive structure from the northern-southern conflict centuries earlier now becomes a mass grave. The verb mille ('filled') — Ishmael filled the cistern with corpses — is grotesque in its completeness.
Jeremiah 41:10

וַיִּ֣שְׁבְּ יִ֠שְׁמָעֵ֠אל אֵ֣ת כָּל־שְׁאֵרִ֤ית הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּמִּצְפָּ֔ה אֶת־בְּנ֣וֹת הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעָ֖ם הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֣ים בַּמִּצְפָּ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הִפְקִ֗יד נְבוּזַרְאֲדָ֤ן רַב־טַבָּחִים֙ אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֣הוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָ֔ם וַיִּשְׁבֵּ֗ם יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֔ה וַיֵּ֕לֶךְ לַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃

Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people at Mizpah — the king's daughters and all the people who remained at Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had entrusted to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The king's daughters (benot ha-melekh) — royal women of the Davidic house — had been left in Gedaliah's care by Nebuzaradan. Ishmael now takes them as political hostages. His destination is the Ammonites, confirming the connection to Baalis king of Ammon who had commissioned the assassination (40:14). He is taking the remnant of Judah to a foreign king.
Jeremiah 41:11

וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יוֹחָנָ֤ן בֶּן־קָרֵ֙חַ֙ וְכָל־שָׂרֵ֤י הַחֲיָלִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה יִשְׁמָעֵ֥אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָֽה׃

When Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done,

KJV 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,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Johanan had warned Gedaliah about Ishmael's plot and even offered to assassinate Ishmael secretly (40:13-16), but Gedaliah refused to believe him. Now the catastrophe Johanan predicted has occurred. The phrase kol ha-ra'ah ('all the evil') encompasses the assassination, the massacre, and the kidnapping.
Jeremiah 41:12

וַיִּקְח֞וּ אֶת־כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים וַיֵּלְכוּ֙ לְהִלָּחֵ֔ם עִם־יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֑ה וַיִּמְצְא֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ אֶל־מַ֥יִם רַבִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּגִבְעֽוֹן׃

They gathered all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They found him by the great pool at Gibeon.

KJV Then 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The mayim rabbim ('great waters') at Gibeon is the large pool mentioned in 2 Samuel 2:13, where Joab's and Abner's men once fought. Gibeon was approximately five miles southwest of Mizpah. The site has been archaeologically identified with a massive rock-cut pool discovered in the 1950s excavations.
Jeremiah 41:13

וַיְהִ֗י כִּרְא֤וֹת כָּל־הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל אֶת־יוֹחָנָ֣ן בֶּן־קָרֵ֔חַ וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־שָׂרֵ֥י הַחֲיָלִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֑וֹ וַיִּשְׂמָֽחוּ׃

When all the people whom Ishmael held captive saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces with him, they rejoiced.

KJV Now 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The single word va-yismachu ('they rejoiced') captures the relief of the captives upon seeing their rescuers. The contrast between captivity under Ishmael and deliverance by Johanan is immediate.
Jeremiah 41:14

וַיָּסֹ֙בּוּ֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־שָׁבָ֥ה יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל מִן־הַמִּצְפָּ֑ה וַיָּשֻׁ֗בוּ וַיֵּלְכ֛וּ אֶל־יוֹחָנָ֥ן בֶּן־קָרֵֽחַ׃

All the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and went over to Johanan son of Kareah.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The captives actively rally to Johanan — they are not merely liberated but choose to follow him. This group will become the remnant that Jeremiah accompanies, first to the region of Bethlehem (v.17) and eventually to Egypt (43:7).
Jeremiah 41:15

וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֧אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֛ה נִמְלַ֛ט בִּשְׁמֹנָ֥ה אֲנָשִׁ֖ים מִפְּנֵ֣י יוֹחָנָ֑ן וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃

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

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Of the original eleven conspirators (Ishmael plus ten men, v.1), only nine survive — eight men plus Ishmael. Two were apparently killed or deserted. Ishmael escapes to the Ammonites, his patron Baalis's territory. He disappears from the narrative and is never mentioned again. The text offers no punishment, no justice — only escape. The narrator leaves this unresolved.
Jeremiah 41:16

וַיִּקַּ֞ח יוֹחָנָ֣ן בֶּן־קָרֵ֗חַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵ֨י הַחֲיָלִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֗וֹ אֵ֣ת כָּל־שְׁאֵרִ֤ית הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵשִׁ֜יב מֵאֵ֣ת ׀ יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֗ה מִן־הַמִּצְפָּה֙ אַחַ֣ר הִכָּ֔ה אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֖ה בֶּן־אֲחִיקָ֑ם גְּבָרִ֣ים ׀ אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וְנָשִׁ֧ים וְטַ֛ף וְסָרִסִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵשִׁ֛יב מִגִּבְעֽוֹן׃

Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces with him took the entire remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah at Mizpah after the murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam — soldiers, women, children, and court officials whom he had brought back from Gibeon.

KJV Then 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:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The list — gevarim anshei ha-milchamah ve-nashim ve-taf ve-sarisim ('soldiers and women and children and eunuchs/court officials') — catalogs the entire surviving community. The word sarisim can mean either 'eunuchs' or 'court officials'; in this context it likely refers to officials from the Judean court who had been left behind by the Babylonians.
Jeremiah 41:17

וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ וַיֵּשְׁבוּ֙ בְּגֵר֣וּת כִּמְהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֵ֣צֶל בֵּ֣ית לָ֑חֶם לָלֶ֖כֶת לָב֥וֹא מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃

They set out and stayed at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, intending to go on to Egypt,

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Geruth Kimham (the 'lodging place of Chimham') is near Bethlehem, about six miles south of Jerusalem and on the road toward Egypt. Chimham may be connected to Chimham son of Barzillai, whom David brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 19:37-40), suggesting a Davidic-era estate that became a waystation. The remnant pauses here — they have already decided to go to Egypt, though they will consult Jeremiah in chapter 42.
Jeremiah 41:18

מִפְּנֵי֙ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים כִּ֥י יָרְא֖וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּי־הִכָּ֗ה יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ בֶּן־נְתַנְיָ֔ה אֶת־גְּדַלְיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִפְקִ֛יד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֖ל בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

because they were afraid of the Chaldeans, since Ishmael son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

KJV Because 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The chapter ends with the reason for flight: fear of Babylonian retaliation. The assassination of a Babylonian-appointed governor would inevitably provoke a punitive response. The remnant's logic is understandable — but the following chapters will show that running to Egypt is the one thing God has explicitly forbidden. Their fear of Babylon drives them toward the very disaster Jeremiah has been warning about.
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