Yirmiyahu 41: The Murder of Gedaliah and the Flight Toward Egypt
(18 Pesukim)
- The Assassination of Gedaliah (41:1–3)
- In the seventh month, Yishmael son of Nethaniah, who was of royal descent, came to Mizpah with ten men to visit Gedaliah son of Achikam.
- They shared a meal together, but during the meal Ishmael and his men rose up and killed Gedaliah with the sword. Gedaliah had been appointed governor over Judah by the king of Babylon.
- Yishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah and the Babylonian soldiers present there.
- The Massacre at Mizpah (41:4–9)
- The day after Gedaliah’s murder, eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, mourning and bringing offerings to the house of the Lord.
- Yishmael went out to meet them, pretending to weep, and invited them to see Gedaliah.
- When they entered the city, Yishmael and his men slaughtered them and threw their bodies into a large pit.
- However, ten of the men pleaded for their lives, promising hidden supplies of grain, oil, and honey, so Yishmael spared them.
- The pit used for the bodies was originally made by King Asa during his conflict with Baasha, and Yishmael filled it with corpses.
- The Captivity and Flight of Yishmael (41:10–15)
- Yishmael captured all the remaining people in Mizpah, including the daughters of the king [Tzidkiyahu] and others whom Nebuzaradan had entrusted to Gedaliah.
- He set out to take them to the land of Ammon.
- When Yochanan son of Kareah and the other army officers heard of Yishmael’s crimes, they pursued him and confronted him near the great waters of Gibeon.
- When all the people who were captives with Yishmael saw Yochanan son of Kare’ah and all the captains of the soldiers who were with him, they rejoiced. The captives returned and went to join the side of Yochanan son of Kare’ah.
- Yishmael, however, escaped from Yochanon with eight men and fled to the Ammonites.
- The Remnant’s Fear and Decision (41:16–18)
- Yochanan recovered all the people Yishmael had taken, including soldiers, women, children, and officials.
- They left Mizpah and settled near Bethlehem at Geruth Chimham, intending to go to Egypt. They feared retaliation from the Babylonians because Yshmael had murdered Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Babylon. This fear drove them toward a desperate plan to seek refuge in Egypt.
