Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 41:11
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,
11 18. See introd. summary to the section.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
11. Johananthe friend ofGedaliah who had warned him of Ishmael’s treachery, but in vain(Jer 40:8; Jer 40:13).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But when Johanan the son of Kareah,…. The same that is mentioned Jer 40:8; and who had informed Gedaliah of Ishmael’s designs against him, but he would not believe him:
and all the captains of the forces that [were] with him; his brother Jonathan, Seraiah, the sons of Ephai, and Jezaniah, Jer 40:8;
heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done; in murdering Gedaliah, and those that were with him, destroying seventy other persons he had decoyed, and carrying captive the rest of the people at Mizpah; for though Ishmael kept all this a secret as much as he could, for fear of these forces, and that he might get off clear to Ammon; yet, by some means or another, these captains came to hear of it, who, probably, were not at a great distance from Mizpah.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
– Jer 41:11. When Johanan and the rest of the captains heard of what had taken place in Mizpah, they marched out with all their men to fight Ishmael, and came on him at the great water at Gibeon, i.e., by the pool at Gibeon which is mentioned 2Sa 2:13, one of the large receptacles for water which are still found there; see on 2Sa 2:13. Gibeon, now called el Jib (see on Jos 9:3), was situated only about two miles north from Mizpah; from which we may conclude that it was soon known what had happened, and the captains quickly assembled their men and marched after Ishmael.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Johanan Pursues Ishmael; Ishmael’s Retreat. | B. C. 588. |
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, 12 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. 13 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. 14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. 16 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: 17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Beth-lehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 18 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.
It would have been well if Johanan, when he gave information to Gedaliah of Ishmael’s treasonable design, though he could not obtain leave to kill Ishmael and to prevent it that way, yet had staid with Gedaliah; for he, and his captains, and their forces, might have been a life-guard to Gedaliah and a terror to Ishmael, and so have prevented the mischief without the effusion of blood: but, it seems they were out upon some expedition, perhaps no good one, and so were out of the way when they should have been upon the best service. Those that affect to ramble are many times out of their place when they are most needed. However, at length they hear of all the evil that Ishmael had done (v. 11), and are resolved to try an after-game, which we have an account of in these verses. 1. We heartily wish Johanan could have taken revenge upon the murderers, but he prevailed only to rescue the captives. Those that had shed so much blood, it was a pity but their blood should have been shed; and it is strange that vengeance suffered them to live; yet it did. Johanan gathered what forces he could and went to fight with Ishmael (v. 12), upon notice of the murders he had committed (for though he concealed it for a time, v. 4, yet murder will out) and which way he was gone; he pursued him, and overtook him by the great pool of Gibeon, which we read of, 2 Sam. ii. 13. And, upon his appearing with such a force, Ishmael’s heart failed him, his guilty conscience flew in his face, and he durst not stand his ground against an enemy that was something like a match for him. The most cruel are often the most cowardly. The poor captives were glad when they saw Johanan and the captains that were with him, looking upon them as their deliverers (v. 13), and they immediately found a way to wheel about and come over to them (v. 14), Ishmael not offering to detain them when he saw Johanan. Note, Those that would be helped must help themselves. These captives staid not till their conquerors were beaten, but took the first opportunity to make their escape, as soon as they saw their friends appear and their enemies thereby disheartened. Ishmael quitted his pray to save his life, and escaped with eight men, v. 15. It seems, two of his ten men, that were his banditti or assassins (spoken of v. 1), either deserted him or were killed in the engagement; but he made the best of his way to the Ammonites, as a perfect renegado, that had quite abandoned all relation to the commonwealth of Israel, though he was of the seed royal, and we hear no more of him. 2. We heartily wish that Johanan, when he had rescued the captives, would have sat down quietly with them, and governed them peaceably, as Gedaliah did; but, instead of that, he is for leading them into the land of Egypt, as Ishmael would have led them into the land of the Ammonites; so that though he got the command over them in a better way than Ishmael did, and honestly enough, yet he did not use it much better. Gedaliah, who was of a meek and quiet spirit, was a great blessing to them; but Johanan, who was of a fierce and restless spirit, was set over them for their hurt, and to complete their ruin, even after they were, as they thought, redeemed. Thus did God still walk contrary to them. (1.) The resolution of Johanan and the captains was very rash; nothing would serve them but they would go to enter into Egypt (v. 17), and, in order to that, they encamped for a time in the habitation of Chimham, by Bethlehem, David’s city. Probably it was some land which David gave to Chimham, the son of Barzillai, which, though it returned to David’s family at the year of the Jubilee, yet still bore the name of Chimham. Here Johanan made his headquarters, steering his course towards Egypt, either from a personal affection to that country or an ancient national confidence in the Egyptians for help in distress. Some of the mighty men of war, it seems had escaped; those he took with him, and the women and children, whom he had recovered from Ishmael, who were thus emptied from vessel to vessel, because they were yet unchanged. (2.) The reason for this resolution was very frivolous. They pretended that they were afraid of the Chaldeans, that they would come and do I know not what with them, because Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, v. 18. I cannot think they really had any apprehensions of danger upon this account; for, though it is true that the Chaldeans had cause enough to resent the murder of their viceroy, yet they were not so unreasonable, or unjust, as to revenge it upon those who appeared so vigorously against the murderers. But they only make use of this as a sham to cover that corrupt inclination of their unbelieving ancestors, which was so strong in them, to return into Egypt. Those will justly lose their comfort in real fears that excuse themselves in sin with pretended fears.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Va. 11-18: JOHANAN RESCUES THE CAPTIVES
1. Just as promptly as Johanan had warned Gedaliah of Ishmael’s wicked design, so did he pursue the bloody traitor as soon as he learned of the atrocities at Mizpah and his abduction of the remnant, (vs. 11; comp. Jer 40:13-16).
2. With all the captains of the forces of Judah, Johanan led all the fighting men until they had overtaken Ishmael beside the great pool at Gibeon, (vs. 12; comp. 2Sa 2:12-16; Pro 28:17).
3. As soon as Ishmael’s captives saw Johanan, and the captains of the forces who accompanied him, he was unable to hold them captive; they quickly and joyfully fled to their rescuer, (vs. 13-14).
4. Ishmael and eight of his men did escape from Johanan, and took refuge among the Ammonites (vs. 15); the other two were evidently slain, (comp. vs. 2).
5. Johanan and the captains then took all the people to the lodging-place of Chimham, which was near Bethlehem -that they might quickly flee to Egypt (vs. 16-17) – presuming that, in Egypt, they would find security from the king of Babylon.
6. This action was taken because they feared a Chaldean reprisal for Ishmael’s wickedness, (vs. 18; comp. Jer 43:2-3; Isa 51:12-13; Isa 57:11; Luk 12:4-5).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
JOHANAN’S EXPEDITION TO AVENGE GEDALIAH’S DEATH, Jer 41:11-18.
11. Johanan The friend of Gedaliah, who had warned him of this plot.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ishmael Is Pursued By The Loyal Men Of Judah Who Recover The Captives, Although Ishmael Himself Escapes Retribution ( Jer 41:11-15 ).
Despite Ishmael’s best efforts news of what he had done swiftly and inevitably reached the ears of the loyal Judean commanders who, when they heard of it, determined to recover the captives and gain revenge. Gathering their men they came to the rescue. They succeeded in respect of the captives, but failed in respect of the capture of Ishmael, who, on seeing the approach of a determined force, deserted the captives and with eight of his men (the remainder of ‘the ten’ had possibly been killed at some stage) and fled post haste to Ammon, no doubt on fast horses.
Jer 41:11
‘But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,’
It was inevitable that loyal Judeans would slip out of Mizpah, despite all the precautions that Ishmael had taken, and would make for the cities where the loyal commanders were stationed. The news of what had happened therefore reached Johanan and the other captives post haste.
Jer 41:12
‘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.’
So they quickly rallied their forces and set off in pursuit of Ishmael and his party, and the speed at which they did so is brought out by the fact that they caught up with them at ‘the great waters that were in Gibeon’. A pool at Gibeon (modern el-jibe) is mentioned in 2Sa 2:13, and would have been one of the large receptacles for water, traces of which can still be found. This was only about 3 kilometres (2 miles) from Mizpah so that Ishmael and his party had clearly not travelled very far. It is indeed probable that, thinking himself safe, hostages were still being rounded up, and brought there.
Jer 41:13
‘Now it came about that, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.’
When the captives saw the approaching loyalist forces they were glad. They had no desire to go to Ammon, and were heartened at the thought of being rescued. It is being emphasised that Ishmael had no local support.
Jer 41:14-15
‘So all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.’
It is apparent that when Ishmael saw the approaching forces he recognised that he was no match for them, and made his escape on horseback as rapidly as possible, leaving the captives to do whatever they wanted. The captives immediately went back to meet the pursuers, rejoicing in their deliverance. This would slow down any pursuit, thus enabling Ishmael and eight of his men to escape and make their way to Ammon.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Preparations to Emigrate to Egypt
v. 11. But when Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, v. 12. then they took all the men, v. 13. 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, v. 14. So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about, v. 15. But Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, escaped from Johanan, v. 16. 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, v. 17. and they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, v. 18. 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,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Jer 41:11 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,
Ver. 11. But when Jehanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains, heard of all the evil. ] Ishmael did what he could to conceal the wickedness till he had gotten away with his prize; but rumour outran him, even
“ Fama, malum quo non aliud velocius ullum. ”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 41:11-18
11But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done. 12So they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and they found him by the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13Now as soon as all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were glad. 14So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the sons of Ammon. 16Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, that is, the men who were soldiers, the women, the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt 18because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Jer 41:12 the great pool that is at Gibeon Archaeology has found a large rock cistern seventy to eighty feet deep at Gibeon (cf. 2Sa 2:12-16).
Jer 41:13 they were glad This must refer to those taken forcibly from Mizpah (cf. Jer 41:10; Jer 41:16).
Jer 41:17 Geruth Chimham The first word (BDB 158) means lodging place or inn. It denoted a caravan camping place (possibly had a well or natural protection from the wind).
The second word (BDB 484) can be
1. a location near Bethlehem
2. a person (cf. 2Sa 19:37-38; 2Sa 19:40, an attendant of David)
Josephus calls the place Mandara (Antiq. 10.9.5).
in order to proceed into Egypt This shows that Johanan had already made up his mind to go to Egypt, and also sets the stage for Jeremiah 42. They went to Egypt out of fear of Nebuchadnezzar’s reprisals!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra’a’. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Jer 41:11-15
Jer 41:11-15
ISHMAEL IS DEFEATED;
HE ESCAPES TO AMMON
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, 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. Now it came to pass that, when all the people that were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad. So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.
This is a drastically abbreviated account. Johanan knew all about Ishmael and no doubt anticipated his carrying captives away for sale to the Ammonites, pursued him, overtook him, and thoroughly defeated him at Gibeon, even killing two of his ten-man body-guard.
The great waters that are in Gibeon…
(Jer 41:12). This is a reference to a rather large natural lake in the area.
They turned. and went unto Johanan …..
(Jer 41:14). This the captives could not have done unless Johanan had already thoroughly defeated Ishmael and sent him fleeing for his life to the Ammonites. With what is said here, Ishmael disappears from Biblical history, a fitting exit indeed for the kind of man he was.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Johanan: Jer 41:2, Jer 41:3, Jer 41:7, Jer 40:7, Jer 40:8, Jer 40:13-16, Jer 42:1, Jer 42:3, Jer 43:2-5
Reciprocal: Jer 42:8 – Johanan
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 41:11. About this time Johanan got the news of what Ishmael had done, including the kidnaping of the kings daughters and other refugees.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
41:11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the {g} captains of the forces that [were] with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
(g) Who had been captains under Zedekiah.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
However, Johanan, who had warned Gedaliah to look out for Ishmael (Jer 40:13-16), and some remaining guerrilla commanders, heard what Ishmael had done.