Worthy.Bible » YLT » Jeremiah » Chapter 41 » Verse 1

Jeremiah 41:1 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And it cometh to pass, in the seventh month, come hath Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and of the chiefs of the king, and ten men with him, unto Gedaliah son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, and they eat there bread together in Mizpah.

Cross Reference

James 4:1-3 YLT

Whence `are' wars and fightings among you? not thence -- out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members? ye desire, and ye have not; ye murder, and are zealous, and are not able to attain; ye fight and war, and ye have not, because of your not asking; ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend `it'.

Luke 22:47-48 YLT

And while he is speaking, lo, a multitude, and he who is called Judas, one of the twelve, was coming before them, and he came nigh to Jesus to kiss him, and Jesus said to him, `Judas, with a kiss the Son of Man dost thou deliver up?'

Daniel 11:26-27 YLT

and those eating his portion of food destroy him, and his force overfloweth, and fallen have many wounded. `And both of the kings' hearts `are' to do evil, and at one table they speak lies, and it doth not prosper, for yet the end `is' at a time appointed.

Jeremiah 40:14-16 YLT

and they say unto him, `Dost thou really know that Baalis king of the sons of Ammon hath sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to smite thy soul?' And Gedaliah son of Ahikam hath not given to them credence. And Johanan son of Kareah hath spoken unto Gedaliah in secret, in Mizpah, saying, `Let me go, I pray thee, and I smite Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one doth know; why doth he smite thy soul? and scattered have been all Judah who are gathered unto thee, and perished hath the remnant of Judah.' And Gedaliah son of Ahikam saith unto Johanan son of Kareah, `Thou dost not do this thing, for falsehood thou art speaking concerning Ishmael.'

Proverbs 26:23-26 YLT

Silver of dross spread over potsherd, `Are' burning lips and an evil heart. By his lips doth a hater dissemble, And in his heart he placeth deceit, When his voice is gracious trust not in him, For seven abominations `are' in his heart. Hatred is covered by deceit, Revealed is its wickedness in an assembly.

2 Samuel 20:9-10 YLT

And Joab saith to Amasa, `Art thou `in' peace, my brother?' and the right hand of Joab layeth hold on the beard of Amasa to give a kiss to him; and Amasa hath not been watchful of the sword that `is' in the hand of Joab, and he smiteth him with it unto the fifth `rib', and sheddeth out his bowels to the earth, and he hath not repeated `it' to him, and he dieth; and Joab and Abishai his brother have pursued after Sheba son of Bichri.

Commentary on Jeremiah 41 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 41

Jer 41:1-18. Ishmael Murders Gedaliah and Others, Then Flees to the Ammonites. Johanan Pursues Him, Recovers the Captives, and Purposes to Flee to Egypt for Fear of the Chaldeans.

1. seventh month—the second month after the burning of the city (Jer 52:12, 13).

and the princes—not the nominative. And the princes came, for the "princes" are not mentioned either in Jer 41:2 or in 2Ki 25:25: but, "Ishmael being of the seed royal and of the princes of the king" [Maurer]. But the ten men were the "princes of the king"; thus Maurer's objection has no weight: so English Version.

eat bread together—Ishmael murdered Gedaliah, by whom he was hospitably received, in violation of the sacred right of hospitality (Ps 41:9).

2. slew him whom the king of Babylon had made governor—This assigns a reason for their slaying him, as well as showing the magnitude of their crime (Da 2:21; Ro 13:1).

3. slew all the Jews—namely, the attendants and ministers of Gedaliah; or, the military alone, about his person; translate, "even (not 'and,' as English Version) the men of war." The main portion of the people with Gedaliah, including Jeremiah, Ishmael carried away captive (Jer 41:10, 16).

4. no man knew it—that is, outside Mizpah. Before tidings of the murder had gone abroad.

5. beards shaven, &c.—indicating their deep sorrow at the destruction of the temple and city.

cut themselves—a heathen custom, forbidden (Le 19:27, 28; De 14:1). These men were mostly from Samaria, where the ten tribes, previous to their deportation, had fallen into heathen practices.

offerings—unbloody. They do not bring sacrificial victims, but "incense," &c., to testify their piety.

house of … Lord—that is, the place where the house of the Lord had stood (2Ki 25:9). The place in which a temple had stood, even when it had been destroyed, was held sacred [Papinian]. Those "from Shiloh" would naturally seek the house of the Lord, since it was at Shiloh it originally was set up (Jos 18:1).

6. weeping—pretending to weep, as they did, for the ruin of the temple.

Come to Gedaliah—as if he was one of Gedaliah's retinue.

7. and cast them into … pit—He had not killed them in the pit (compare Jer 41:9); these words are therefore rightly supplied in English Version.

the pit—the pit or cistern made by Asa to guard against a want of water when Baasha was about to besiege the city (Jer 41:9; 1Ki 15:22). The trench or fosse round the city [Grotius]. Ishmael's motive for the murder seems to have been a suspicion that they were coming to live under Gedaliah.

8. treasures—It was customary to hide grain in cavities underground in troubled times. "We have treasures," which we will give, if our lives be spared.

slew … not—(Pr 13:8). Ishmael's avarice and needs overcame his cruelty.

9. because of Gedaliah—rather, "near Gedaliah," namely, those intercepted by Ishmael on their way from Samaria to Jerusalem and killed at Mizpah, where Gedaliah had lived. So 2Ch 17:15, "next"; Ne 3:2, Margin, literally, as here, "at his hand." "In the reign of Gedaliah" [Calvin]. However, English Version gives a good sense: Ishmael's reason for killing them was because of his supposing them to be connected with Gedaliah.

10. the king's daughters—(Jer 43:6). Zedekiah's. Ishmael must have got additional followers (whom the hope of gain attracted), besides those who originally set out with him (Jer 41:1), so as to have been able to carry off all the residue of the people. He probably meant to sell them as slaves to the Ammonites (see on Jer 40:14).

11. Johanan—the friend of Gedaliah who had warned him of Ishmael's treachery, but in vain (Jer 40:8, 13).

12. the … waters—(2Sa 2:13); a large reservoir or lake.

in Gibeon—on the road from Mizpah to Ammon: one of the sacerdotal cities of Benjamin, four miles northwest of Jerusalem, now Eljib.

13. glad—at the prospect of having a deliverer from their captivity.

14. cast about—came round.

16. men of war—"The men of war," stated in Jer 41:3 to have been slain by Ishmael, must refer to the military about Gedaliah's person; "the men of war" here to those not so.

eunuchs—The kings of Judah had adopted the bad practice of having harems and eunuchs from the surrounding heathen kingdoms.

17. dwelt—for a time, until they were ready for their journey to Egypt (Jer 42:1-22).

habitation to Chimham—his "caravanserai" close by Beth-lehem. David, in reward for Barzillai's loyalty, took Chimham his son under his patronage, and made over to him his own patrimony in the land of Beth-lehem. It was thence called the habitation of Chimham (Geruth-Chimham), though it reverted to David's heirs in the year of jubilee. "Caravanserais" (a compound Persian word, meaning "the house of a company of travellers") differ from our inns, in that there is no host to supply food, but each traveller must carry with him his own.

18. afraid—lest the Chaldeans should suspect all the Jews of being implicated in Ishmael's treason, as though the Jews sought to have a prince of the house of David (Jer 41:1). Their better way towards gaining God's favor would have been to have laid the blame on the real culprit, and to have cleared themselves. A tortuous policy is the parent of fear. Righteousness inspires with boldness (Ps 53:5; Pr 28:1).