Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 40:8
Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
8. the Netophathite ] Netophah was apparently identical with Beit Nettif, a village W. of Bethlehem at the entrance to the Vale of Elah. See Buhl’s Geographie des alten Palstina, p. 194. It was not far from Jerusalem (Neh 12:28).
Jezaniah ] not the “Jezaniah” of ch. Jer 42:1, where see note.
Maacathite ] Maacah was S.E. of Hermon.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 8. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah] This is he who afterwards murdered Gedaliah. He had been employed to do this by Baalis, king of the Ammonites, with whom he appears to have taken refuge during the siege. See Jer 40:14.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
It is most likely that these captains with their forces were no newly raised and formed companies; for to what purpose should that be when their city and whole country was lost? but some commanders of parties, which either were within the city till it was taken, and then escaped out, or were about before some where in the country, and were not so much regarded by the Chaldeans, who were more intent upon the conquest of the city than pursuing these little parties, who they knew could do them no hurt. These hearing that the business was over, and a deputy governor set up, who was of their own country, and a man of a good, ingenuous temper, out of the love they had to their native country come unto him. Of these captains we read little save Ishmael, (of whom we shalt afterwards read more,) nor are we at all concerned to seek their genealogy.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. Netophathitefrom Netophah,a town in Judah (2Sa 23:28).
MaachathitefromMaachathi, at the foot of Mount Hermon (De3:14).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,…. Having heard that the Chaldean army was gone, and so were in no fear of that; and also that Gedaliah was made deputy governor, one of their own nation, a pious, prudent, good man, a man of ingenuity, mildness, and integrity; under whose government they might expect to live comfortably; and which was much preferable to captivity in a foreign country, though tributary to Babylon:
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; who was of the seed royal,
Jer 41:1;
and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah; two brothers, but who they were, or their father, is not known, no mention being made of them but in this story:
and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth; who he was is also uncertain:
and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite; so called from Netophah, a city of the tribe of Judah near Bethlehem, and are mentioned together, Ezr 2:22; the Netophathites inhabited several villages, 1Ch 9:16; mention is made in the Misnic t writings of artichokes and olives this place was famous for:
and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite; a family so called from Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, 1Ch 2:48;
they and their men; these generals, and the forces under their command.
t Shebiit, c. 9. sect. 5. & Pea, c. 7. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They then and their men, came to Gedaliah, when they heard that the king of Babylon had set Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, over Judea, and that men, women, and children were committed to his power or keeping. And then he adds, from the poverty of the land, that is, from the dregs of the people, even from those who had not been removed to Babylon: they came, even Ishmael, etc.; who, as we shall hereafter see, became a traitor. He was, as the Prophet says, of the royal family. His spirits were still very high, and influenced by envy, he killed Gedaliah, though he had been kindly received by him. He had, at the same time, received a reward for his treachery from the king of Amon. But all these things we shall see in what follows.
He names here the fugitive chiefs, the first of whom was Ishmael, and among them were the sons of Kareah; who had pledged their faith to Gedaliah; but he was too credulous, and, at the same time, closed his ears to wise counsels and warnings. The Prophet proceeds to tell us how Geda-liah dealt with his own nation, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(8) Then they came to Gedaliah.Of the captains thus named, Ishmael, of the seed royal (we have no date for determining his precise position in the line of successors) (Jer. 41:1), is prominent in the history of the next chapter, Johanan (the Hebrew form of Joannes or John) in that of Jeremiah 42, Seraiah and Jaazaniah are named in the parallel passage of 2Ki. 25:23, but nothing more is known of them. Netophah, to which the sons of Ephai belonged, was a town of Benjamin not far from Bethlehem (1Ch. 2:54; 1Ch. 9:16; Ezr. 2:22; Neh. 7:26). The Maachathite, whose father is not named, was probably a naturalised alien from the small kingdom of Maachah, on the east side of the Jordan, near Argob (Deu. 3:14; 2Sa. 10:6; 2Sa. 10:8) and Bashan (Jos. 12:5), not far from the modern Lejah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 40:8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
Ver. 8. Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah. ] Where Samuel dwelt, 1Sa 7:16-17 not far from Shiloh.
Even Ishmael.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Ishmael. The Massorites (App-30) set their hand to obliterate the Divine names in the case of men who had served to disgrace it. One is ‘el, in the compound “Ishmael”, which means “whom my El heareth”. It is used of five different men, and occurs forty-eight times: twenty times of Hagar’s son; twenty-three times of Nethaniah’s son in this history; and five times of the other three. On account of his horrible treachery, the memory of which is perpetuated by the fast of the seventh month (Zec 7:5; Zec 8:9), the vowel points were changed to obliterate the Divine Name (El): viz. yishma’el, instead of yishma’el, which is not observable in the ordinary English spelling.
sons. Some codices, with Aram, and Septuagint, read “son”, as in Jer 40:13.
Netophathite = a man of Netophah, now Khan Umm Tobah, north of Bethlehem (1Ch 2:54. Ezr 2:22. Neh 7:26).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
came: Jer 40:6, Jer 40:11, Jer 40:12
even: Jer 40:14, Jer 41:1-16, 2Ki 25:23, 2Ki 25:25
Johanan: Jer 41:11, Jer 41:16, Jer 42:1, Jer 42:8, Jer 43:2, Jer 43:5
Jonathan: Jer 37:15, Jer 37:20, Jer 38:26
Netophathite: 2Sa 23:28, 2Sa 23:29, 1Ch 2:54, 1Ch 11:30, Ezr 2:2, Ezr 2:22, Neh 7:26
Maachathite: Deu 3:14, Jos 12:5, 2Sa 10:6, 2Sa 10:8, 2Sa 23:34, 1Ch 2:48
Reciprocal: Jer 36:14 – Nethaniah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 40:8. The men referred to in the preceding verse are named in this. They came to Mizpah where Gedaliah was to have his headquarters. Ishmael seemed to be a leader among the group but we shall learn that he was an ambitious, jealous, wicked man.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
40:8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even {e} Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
(e) Who was of the king’s blood and later slew him, Jer 41:2 .