Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 41:16
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:
16. from Mizpah ] But it was not from Mizpah, but from the neighbourhood of Gibeon that they had been recovered. Therefore with Hitzig (followed by later commentators) read all the remnant of the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah. A similarity between the two Hebrew verbs has evidently been the cause of the confusion.
even the men of war ] probably a gloss.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 16. The women, – children, and the eunuchs] These were all most probably, persons who belonged to the palace and harem of Zedekiah: some of them his own concubines and their children.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
16. men of war“The menof war,” stated in Jer 41:3to have been slain by Ishmael, must refer to the military aboutGedaliah’s person; “the men of war” here to those not so.
eunuchsThe kings ofJudah had adopted the bad practice of having harems and eunuchs fromthe surrounding heathen kingdoms.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that [were] with him,…. After Ishmael had made his escape, whom they did not think fit to pursue, and the people had committed themselves to their care and protection; and having brought them to Mizpah again, they took them from thence, as follows:
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: those whom he had rescued from Ishmael, and had returned to Mizpah, be persuaded to go with him from thence; who are more particularly described, as follows:
[even] mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon; or “men, [even] men of war” q; warlike men, soldiers; by which it appears that Ishmael must have more than ten men with him when he came to Mizpah, as well to do what he did there, as likewise to carry away such a number of captives, among which were mighty men, men of war, some of whom he had slain, besides women and children, to which are added eunuchs, not mentioned before, such as the king of Judah had in his court; see Jer 38:7; but these were of no account with the Chaldeans; and therefore they left them behind with the poor of the land; perhaps Ebedmelech might be among them, whose safety and protection is promised, because of his kindness to Jeremiah, Jer 39:15. The Targum calls them princes: these were brought back by Johanan from Gibeon, where he met with Ishmael, to Mizpah; from whence they had been carried, and whom he took from thence again.
q “mares, viros belli”, Schmidt; “nempe vires bellatores”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After the escape of Ishmael, it was to be feared that the Chaldeans would avenge the murder of the governor, and make the Jews who remained atone for the escape of the murderer by executing them or carrying them away to Babylon. Accordingly, Johanan and the other captains determined to withdraw to Egypt with the men, women, and children that had been carried off by Ishmael; these they conducted first to Bethlehem, where they encamped for the purpose of deliberating as to the rest of the journey, and taking due precautions. The account given in Jer 41:16 is clumsily expressed, especially the middle portion, between “whom he had brought back” and “the son of Ahikam;” and in this part the words “from Mizpah” are particularly troublesome in breaking the connection: “whom he (Johanan) had brought back from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after he (Ishmael) had slain Gedaliah,” while it is more correctly stated in the second relative clause, “whom he had brought back from Gibeon.” Hitzig and Graf accordingly suppose that, originally, instead of , there stood in the text , “whom he (Ishmael) had led captive from Mizpah, after he had slain Gedaliah.” Thus the whole becomes clear. Against this conjecture there only stands the fact that the lxx translate ; they must thus have read , and omitted merely as unsuited to the passage. However, the error may be even older than the lxx, and may easily have arisen through a scribe having glanced at the words of the last clause. The words from “men” to “chamberlains” form the more exact specification of the general expression “all the remnant of the people:” “men, viz., men of war, women (including the king’s daughters, Jer 40:10), and children and chamberlains” ( , guardians and servants of the female members of the royal family).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
The Prophet now shews, that though some kind of virtue appeared in John the son of Kareah, he was not yet of a right mind. He was an energetic and a discreet man, but he discovered his unbelief, when he led the remnant of the people into Egypt, while the Prophet was forbidding such a thing. He already knew that this was not lawful, but his obstinacy was two-fold more, when the Prophet repudiated his project, as we shall see. This passage then teaches us, that though the leaders of the forces, who had put Ishmael to flight, and avenged his perfidy, were men of courage, and shewed regard for the public good, they were destitute of faith: there was thus wanting in them the chief thing, that is piety and the fear of God.
Then the Prophet says, that John and the rest took the remnant of the people whom they had recovered from Ishmael, from Mizpah, not that they were recovered from that place, but that Ishmael had brought the unhappy people captives from Mizpah, as we have seen; but they had all been recovered at Gibeon, according to what is said at the end of the verse. But he says that they were valiant men, גברים , geberim, (he so calls them on account of their courage, for an explanation follows,) and men of war, המלחמה אנשי , anushi emelecheme. He then calls them valiant or brave, and afterwards he explains what that virtue was, even because they were warlike men. He says further, that there were women mixed with them, and children, and eunuchs, who once lived in the king’s court; and as we have before seen, there were among them the king’s daughters. Gedaliah then had collected together a considerable number of men, not only from the lower orders, but also from the higher class, whose wealth and rank were not common while the kingdom was standing.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) Mighty men of war . . .These were apparently such as had escaped the massacre of Jer. 41:2. In the women, the children, and the eunuchs we find the survivors of the kings harem. Ebed-melech may well have been among the latter.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Mighty men of war In Jer 41:3 it is related that Ishmael “slew the men of war.” That must refer to those who were about the person of Gedaliah; this, to other soldiers Johanan had been able to make prisoners. Among the eunuchs who are here mentioned, probably, may have been Ebed-melech.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Recognising That Nebuchadrezzar Would Wreak Vengeance For The Assassination Of His Appointed Representative The Judeans Determine To Seek Refuge In Egypt ( Jer 41:16-17 ).
In what is a much abbreviated account (Johanan’s men would hardly have left without their wives and children) we learn that all those who could have been seen as in any way involved in connection with the assassination of Gedaliah, including those who had failed to bring the assassins to justice and whose safety had been guaranteed by Gedaliah, determined to seek refuge in Egypt from the anticipated revenge of Nebuchadrezzar. Such revenge was rarely discriminatory. Anyone could find themselves involved in it.
Jer 41:16
‘Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, took 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, to wit, the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon,’
Recognising that Nebuchadrezzar might well seek revenge on those who had failed to protect his representative from assassination, namely all the important people in Mizpah, and on those who had let the murderers escape, namely Johanan and his allies, whose guarantee of safety had anyway lain in the hands of Gedaliah, Johanan and his fellow-commanders decided to seek refuge in Egypt. From now on Mizpah would not be a safe place in which to live, being a target of Nebuchadrezzar’s vengeance. It should be noted that while large, the numbers of refugees are limited. The large part of the inhabitants of Judah would remain in Judah, well away from Mizpah.
Jer 41:17-18
‘And they departed, and stayed in Geruth Chimham, which is by Beth-lehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 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 had made governor over the land.’
The basis of their fears is here emphasised. It was because the one whom Nebuchadrezzar had appointed as governor had been slain. This really left Nebuchadrezzar with no option but to wreak some kind of revenge as an object lesson to all his subjects everywhere as to what would happen to them if they did not protect his appointed representatives. And Mizpah would be the main target of his revenge.
So rather than returning to Mizpah they took up temporary residence in Geruth Chimham (or ‘at the inn/resting-place of Chimham’). It is an indication of their sense of foreboding, and of their fear of an attack at any time, that they clearly panicked and determined to flee the scene. No one wanted to be found in Mizpah. That they were at least partly right, humanly speaking, can be gathered from the fact that Nebuchadrezzar’s forces did later arrive and seek vengeance on Judah in 582 BC, resulting in further exiles (see Jer 52:30).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 41:16 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:
Ver. 16. Then took Johanan all the remnant. ] This evil act of theirs doth quite overturn the glory of the former; while against the ancient command of God, the covenant made with the Chaldees, and the consent of the prophets, they will needs down to Egypt, to lean upon that broken reed that never did them good, but evil.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 41:16-18
Jer 41:16-18
JOHANAN TO LEAD THE PEOPLE TO EGYPT
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, [to wit], the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon: and they departed, and dwelt in Geruth Chimham, which is by Beth-lehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 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 over the land.
And they dwelt at Geruth Chimham…
(Jer 41:17). Little is known of this place except what is stated here, i.e., that it was near Bethlehem. The name Chimham, however, in 2Sa 19:37, is mentioned as the name of a man David the king rewarded for a favor done the king during the rebellion of Absalom. Chimham was the son of a very wealthy and powerful man, Barzillai, a friend of David the king. From this, it may be supposed that Geruth Chimham was a large estate near Bethlehem, of sufficient size to accommodate the considerable population that had been gathered by Johanan.
To go to enter into Egypt…
(Jer 41:17). This decision, no doubt, was made by Johanan and supported by the fear of the people who supposed that the Babylonians might arrive any day and take vengeance upon the people for their murder of the governor appointed by the Chaldeans. They may have feared that the Chaldeans would not understand who was at fault, and therefore punish the innocent; or they may have thought that the Chaldeans would see the entire episode as an attempted revolt, and would not distinguish the innocent from the guilty. However, the decision was a terrible mistake.
It was contrary to God’s will for the people to return to Egypt; and, besides that, Egypt was by no means out of the reach of the Babylonians. Johanan had been true and correct in his warning Gedaliah of Ishmael; but now he would become a key factor in moving a remnant of Israel back under the power of the Pharaohs.
The Plight of the Remnant Jer 41:17 to Jer 43:7
Following the death of Gedaliah the tiny remnant in Judah was thrown into confusion. Gedaliah was dead; Ishmael had escaped. It would only be a matter of time before Nebuchadnezzar would appear to avenge the death of his governor. The preceding narrative has skillfully portrayed the dire plight of the people who remained in the land following the destruction of Jerusalem. But they had one consolation-God was still with them and the prophet of God was still available to deliver His word to them. This section of the book moves rapidly through four stages: (1) the reasoning of the people (Jer 41:17-18); (2) the request to the prophet (Jer 42:1-6); (3) the response of the Lord (Jer 42:7-22); and (4) the rashness of the leaders (Jer 43:1-7).
The Flight to Egypt – Jer 40:7 to Jer 45:5
Open It
1. Whom do you know who has been too trusting and suffered because he or she refused to believe ill of another person?
2. What traditional superstitions were you taught as you were growing up?
Explore It
3. How did the governor appointed by the Babylonians reassure the small fighting force that remained in the land after the Babylonians withdrew? (Jer 40:7-10)
4.How did the remnant of people in the land of Judah grow and begin to prosper? (Jer 40:11-12)
5. What warning did some of the commanders give to Gedaliah, the appointed governor? (Jer 40:13-14)
6. How did Johanan propose to solve the threat against Gedaliah, which he perceived as potentially disastrous to the whole remnant? (Jer 40:15)
7. How did Gedaliah respond to Johanans desire to protect him? (Jer 40:16)
8. What devious plan was carried out by Ishmael and his followers? (Jer 41:1-3)
9. What evil deeds did Ishmael add to his murder of Gedaliah? (Jer 41:4-10)
10. What transpired when Johanan caught up to Ishmael? (Jer 41:11-15)
11. What did Johanan assume the remaining faithful people would have to do since Gedaliah had been murdered? (Jer 41:16-18)
12. What request did Johanan and the people with him make of the prophet Jeremiah? (Jer 42:1-3)
13. What promises did Jeremiah and the people make to one another? (Jer 42:4-6)
14. What positive commands and reassuring words did Jeremiah bring from God? (Jer 42:7-12)
15. What warning did God have for the people in anticipation of their intended disobedience? (Jer 42:13-18)
16. Of what fatal mistake did Jeremiah accuse the remnant of Judah? (Jer 42:19-22)
17. How did Johanan and the other leaders rationalize their disobedience? (Jer 43:1-3)
18. Who were the people who entered Egypt, some of them against their will? (Jer 43:4-7)
19. When he was at Tahpanhes with the others, what symbolic action did God tell Jeremiah to take, and what was the meaning? (Jer 43:8-13)
20. For what sin did God, through Jeremiah, remind the people that He had punished Judah and Jerusalem? (Jer 44:1-6)
21. Why was Jeremiah amazed that the remnant had not learned a lesson from all that had happened before? (Jer 44:7-10)
22. What did God say He would do to all those determined to go to Egypt for protection? (Jer 44:11-14)
23. What superstitious belief did the people cite as they defied Jeremiah openly? (Jer 44:15-19)
24. How did Jeremiah proceed to correct their thinking about the real cause of their misfortune? (Jer 44:20-23)
25. With what vow did God answer the peoples vow to continue worshiping the “Queen of Heaven”? (Jer 44:24-28)
26. What did God promise to do to the pharaoh of Egypt, whom the Israelites considered an ally against Babylon? (Jer 44:29-30)
27. Why was the scribe, Baruch, feeling sorry for himself? (Jer 45:1-3)
28. How did God respond to Baruchs self-pity? (Jer 45:4-5)
Get It
29. What mistake on the part of a well-meaning governor kept the remnant of poor people and fugitive soldiers from prospering after the Babylonian conquest?
30. How did reliance on their own wisdom and preconceptions about Gods answer get Johanan and his fellow leaders into trouble?
31. What (other than fear of the Babylonians) led the people to ignore God and His prophet, Jeremiah?
32. Why did Jeremiah call the disobedience of the people who insisted on fleeing to Egypt a fatal mistake?
33. Why do people swear oaths that they dont really intend to keep?
34. Why are some people willing to attribute their misfortune to Gods indifference or powerlessness rather than to their own sins?
35. When have you felt discouraged because of how long you have endured hardship in doing the right thing?
36. What blessings will follow if we allow Gods loving-kindness to be our reward for faithfulness?
Apply It
37. In what area of your life do you need to pray for Gods perspective on human evil?
38. What initial steps can you take to refocus on the eternal rather than the earthly rewards when you face discouragement in serving the Lord?
Questions On Jeremiah Chapters Thirty-Nine Thru Forty-One
By Brent Kercheville
1 What does chapter 39 describe?
What were some of the horrors of this event?
Where in Deuteronomy did God warn Israel that this would happen if they disobeyed?
2 How does Nebuchadnezzar treat Jeremiah (Jer 39:11-14)? Compare and contrast his treatment by Nebuchadnezzar with his treatment by Zedekiah.
3 What is Gods promise to Jeremiah (Jer 39:15-18)?
4 What happens to Jeremiah in Jer 40:1-6? Who does the text say did all of this for Jeremiah?
5 What happens in Jer 40:7-16?
6 What else happens in chapter 41?
TRANSFORMATION:
How does this relationship change your relationship with God? What did you learn about him? What will
you do differently in your life?
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
even: Jer 41:10, Jer 42:8, Jer 43:4-7
Reciprocal: 2Ki 25:26 – General Jer 36:14 – Nethaniah Jer 40:8 – Johanan Jer 42:1 – all the Jer 43:2 – Johanan Jer 43:5 – took
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 41:16. This sad experience made Johanan fearful in a general feeling of terror. Such a feeling sometimes causes a man to act with poor judgment. After his encounter with Ishmael at the pool near Gibeon, he gathered his captains with all the Jews he had recovered there, and joined them
with the others who had escaped the sword in the terrible slaughter by Ishmael at Mizpah.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 41:16-18. Then took Johanan and the captains, all the remnant of the people, &c. It would have been a happy thing, if Johanan, when he had rescued the captives, would have sat quietly down with them, in the land of Judah, 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 of them in a better way than Ishmael did, 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 disposition, seems to have been permitted to get the command of 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, and thus did evil still pursue this sinful people. And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham The same parcel of ground, probably, that David gave to Chimham, the son of Barzillai: see 2Sa 19:38-40. Here Johanan made his headquarters, steering his course toward Egypt, either from a personal affection to that country, or an ancient national confidence in the Egyptians for help in distress. Because of the Chaldeans As the person, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor in the land, was slain, it was not unreasonable for them to think that Nebuchadnezzar would consider the murder of him as an affront done to himself; and though Johanan had no hand in that villanous act, yet he did not know but the king of Babylon, being unacquainted with all the parties among the Jews, might look upon all that remained in the country as guilty, and might revenge the murder of his deputy governor upon them all. He therefore chooses for them a habitation, from whence they might, in a short time, go down into Egypt, which was Johanans design, as we shall read in the next chapter.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Johanan led the people he had rescued south to Geruth-Chimham (lit. the lodging place of Chimham) near Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem. The exact location of this place is presently unknown, but it may have been a site that David gave to Chimham in appreciation for Barzillai (cf. 2Sa 19:37-40). Johanan and his party intended to proceed to Egypt, because they feared that the Babylonian soldiers would retaliate and kill them when they discovered that Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah.