CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Jeremiah 40 Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/commentaries/expositors/jeremiah/40.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/jeremiah/40.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmcom/jeremiah/40-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="/commentaries/">Commentary</a> > <a href="../">Ellicott</a> > <a href="../jeremiah/">Jeremiah</a></div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../jeremiah/39.htm" title="Jeremiah 39">◄</a> Jeremiah 40 <a href="../jeremiah/41.htm" title="Jeremiah 41">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</div><div class="chap"> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-1.htm">Jeremiah 40:1</a></div><div class="verse">The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.</div>XL.</span><p>(1) <span class= "bld">The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord.</span>—It is noticeable that this introduction is not followed by any specific utterance of prophecy until we come to <a href="/jeremiah/42-7.htm" title="And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.">Jeremiah 42:7</a>. It is a natural conclusion that it stands as a kind of heading to the section of the collected prophecies subsequent to the capture of the city.<p><span class= "bld">Had let him go from Ramah.</span>—The town so named was in the tribe of Benjamin (<a href="/joshua/18-25.htm" title="Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,">Joshua 18:25</a>), about six miles from Jerusalem, and retains its old name in the form <span class= "ital">Er-Ram. </span>It was used on this occasion as a depot for the prisoners who were brought to it from Jerusalem, to await the orders of Nebuzaradan as to their ultimate disposal. The captain of the guard and the prophet had apparently not met before, and the latter had been brought in chains (literally, <span class= "ital">manacles, </span>chains fastened to the wrists, <a href="/jeremiah/40-4.htm" title="And now, behold, I loose you this day from the chains which were on your hand. If it seem good to you to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well to you: but if it seem ill to you to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before you: where it seems good and convenient for you to go, thither go.">Jeremiah 40:4</a>), like the other captives.<p>(2–4) <span class= "bld">The Lord thy God . . .</span>—It is significant that the Chaldæan general speaks as if recognising Jehovah as the God of Israel, and the prophet’s mission from Him. Such a recognition did not, however, imply more than the belief of the polytheist, that each nation had its own guardian deity. We find language of a like kind, though spoken with a tone of sarcasm, coming even from the lips of Rab-shakeh (<a href="/2_kings/18-25.htm" title="Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.">2Kings 18:25</a>). As a prophet, however, Jeremiah is treated with marked respect—in part, perhaps, due to the policy he had advocated; in part, possibly, to the influence of men like Daniel and his friends at Babylon—and offered the option of going, with the promise of honourable treatment. to that city, from which, however, it is assumed, that he would not return, or remaining in Judaea, to <span class= "ital">go </span>where he will. The prophet obviously chooses the second alternative, but before he acts on it another plan occurs to Nebuzar-adan.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-5.htm">Jeremiah 40:5</a></div><div class="verse">Now while he was not yet gone back, <i>he said</i>, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.</div>(5) <span class= "bld">Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.</span>—The captain of the guard seems to have felt, on second thoughts, possibly after hearing the prophet’s unrecorded answer, that he had not taken sufficient precaution for Jeremiah’s safety, and therefore consigns him once more to the care of his friend and protector. On parting with him he treats him as an honoured guest, sends him a portion of food from his own table (comp. <a href="/jeremiah/52-34.htm" title="And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.">Jeremiah 52:34</a>)—a welcome gift, doubtless, after the privations of the siege—and an <span class= "ital">honorarium, </span>in money as a compensation for the sufferings he had undergone as a preacher of submission to the conqueror.<p><span class= "bld">Governor over the cities of Judah.</span>—The official title is significant. Jerusalem is treated as if it had been blotted from the face of the earth, and required no superintendence. Gedaliah, the prophet’s friend, had obviously acted on his counsels, and accepted the sovereignty of Nebuchadnezzar as being for the time the ordinance of God. A true patriot might well hold it to be his duty at such a time to accept office under the conqueror, in the hope of being able to do something for the remnant of the nation that was left under his charge.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-6.htm">Jeremiah 40:6</a></div><div class="verse">Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.</div>(6) <span class= "bld">To Mizpah.</span>—The name, which signifies “watch- tower” (<a href="/genesis/31-49.htm" title="And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.">Genesis 31:49</a>), was naturally not uncommon. Of the six or seven cities that were so called, that which comes before us here was Mizpah of Benjamin (<a href="/context/joshua/18-25.htm" title="Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,">Joshua 18:25-26</a>), prominent in the history of Samuel and Saul (<a href="/context/1_samuel/7-5.htm" title="And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you to the LORD.">1Samuel 7:5-13</a>; <a href="/context/1_samuel/10-17.htm" title="And Samuel called the people together to the LORD to Mizpeh;">1Samuel 10:17-25</a>), not far from Gibeah of Saul (<a href="/isaiah/10-29.htm" title="They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.">Isaiah 10:29</a>; <a href="/judges/19-13.htm" title="And he said to his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.">Judges 19:13</a>). It has been identified by Dr. Robinson (B<span class= "ital">ibl. Res. </span>i. 460) with <span class= "ital">Neby-Samwil, </span>about six miles north of Jerusalem. Dean Stanley, Mr. Grove, and Dr. Bonar, however, find it in the ridge which forms a continuation of the Mount of Olives on the north, and which Josephus (<span class= "ital">Wars, </span>v. 2), apparently giving the Greek equivalent of the old Hebrew name, calls <span class= "ital">Skopos, </span>or “the watch-tower.” Mizpah, it may be noted, is twice translated <span class= "ital">Skopia </span>in the LXX. version (<a href="/hosea/5-1.htm" title="Hear you this, O priests; and listen, you house of Israel; and give you ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because you have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread on Tabor.">Hosea 5:1</a>; <a href="/1_samuel/22-3.htm" title="And David went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray you, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.">1Samuel 22:3</a>). It will be seen that the latter identification fits in better with the narrative than the former.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-7.htm">Jeremiah 40:7</a></div><div class="verse">Now when all the captains of the forces which <i>were</i> in the fields, <i>even</i> they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;</div>(7) <span class= "bld">Now when all the captains of</span> <span class= "bld">the forces.</span>—A new section of the history begins, ending with the murder of Gedaliah and its sequel. in <a href="/jeremiah/41-18.htm" title="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.">Jeremiah 41:18</a>. The commanders of the armies that had fought against the invader in the open country found it hopeless to continue the struggle after the capture of Jerusalem. What were they to do? The king of Babylon had, by appointing Gedaliah, himself a prince of Judah, shown a disposition to treat the conquered people leniently. Could they do better than apply to him for protection?<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-8.htm">Jeremiah 40:8</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div>(8) <span class= "bld">Then they came to Gedaliah.—</span>Of the captains thus named, Ishmael, “of the seed royal” (we have no date for determining his precise position in the line of successors) (<a href="/jeremiah/41-1.htm" title="Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.">Jeremiah 41:1</a>), 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 <a href="/2_kings/25-23.htm" title="And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.">2Kings 25:23</a>, but nothing more is known of them. Netophah, to which the sons of Ephai belonged, was a town of Benjamin not far from Bethlehem (<a href="/1_chronicles/2-54.htm" title="The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites.">1Chronicles 2:54</a>; <a href="/1_chronicles/9-16.htm" title="And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, that dwelled in the villages of the Netophathites.">1Chronicles 9:16</a>; <a href="/ezra/2-22.htm" title="The men of Netophah, fifty and six.">Ezra 2:22</a>; <a href="/nehemiah/7-26.htm" title="The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.">Nehemiah 7:26</a>). 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 (<a href="/deuteronomy/3-14.htm" title="Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob to the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair, to this day.">Deuteronomy 3:14</a>; <a href="/2_samuel/10-6.htm" title="And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men.">2Samuel 10:6</a>; <a href="/2_samuel/10-8.htm" title="And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ishtob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.">2Samuel 10:8</a>) and Bashan (<a href="/joshua/12-5.htm" title="And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.">Joshua 12:5</a>), not far from the modern <span class= "ital">Lejah.</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-9.htm">Jeremiah 40:9</a></div><div class="verse">And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.</div>(9) <span class= "bld">Fear not to serve the Chaldeans . . .</span>—Gedaliah, acting as Satrap of the province, assures them that, though they had fought against the conquerors, there would be a full amnesty, and that they might therefore banish all fears of being maltreated. He will remain at his post, and they may return to their own homes.<span class= "bld"><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-10.htm">Jeremiah 40:10</a></div><div class="verse">As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put <i>them</i> in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.</div>(10) <span class= "bld">Gather ye</span> <span class= "bld">wine, and summer fruits.</span>—The words show that the application took place in the autumn. The captains and their followers were invited to help themselves freely from the fields and vineyards and olive-yards, the owners of which had been carried off to Babylon, so as to relieve their immediate wants and provide for the coming winter. The “summer fruits” would probably include figs, apples, and the like.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-11.htm">Jeremiah 40:11</a></div><div class="verse">Likewise when all the Jews that <i>were</i> in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that <i>were</i> in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan;</div>(11, 12) <span class= "bld">When all the Jews that were in Moab . . .</span>—It lay in the nature of things that many of the dwellers in Judæa fled before the march of the Chaldæan armies, and took refuge in the neighbouring regions. In <a href="/ruth/1-2.htm" title="And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.">Ruth 1:2</a>, <a href="/1_samuel/22-3.htm" title="And David went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray you, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.">1Samuel 22:3</a>, <a href="/isaiah/16-4.htm" title="Let my outcasts dwell with you, Moab; be you a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortionist is at an end, the spoiler ceases, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.">Isaiah 16:4</a>, we find analogous instances of fugitives from Judah finding shelter in the Moabite country. These, on hearing of the generous policy adopted by Gedaliah, took courage and returned in time to profit by his permission to gather the produce which otherwise would have been left to perish on the soil.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/40-14.htm">Jeremiah 40:14</a></div><div class="verse">And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.</div>(14) <span class= "bld">Dost thou certainly know that Baalis . . .</span>—The king of the Ammonites so named appears from <a href="/jeremiah/27-3.htm" title="And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah;">Jeremiah 27:3</a> to have been in alliance with Zedekiah; and Ishmael, as belonging to the royal house of Judah, seems to have been still plotting with him against the authority of the Chaldæans. Open resistance being now impossible, they have recourse to assassination. The plot becomes known, and Johanan, faithful to his new protector, warns him against it, but, as the sequel shows, in vain. Gedaliah, in the guileless trustfulness of his character, does not believe that Ishmael is capable of such a crime, and will not sanction another crime by way of precaution.<p><span class= "bld"> <div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers<br /><br />Text Courtesy of <a href="//biblesupport.com" target="_top">BibleSupport.com</a>. Used by Permission. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../jeremiah/39.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Jeremiah 39"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 39" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../jeremiah/41.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Jeremiah 41"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Jeremiah 41" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/jeremiah/40-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="/commentaries/ellicott/sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><br /><br /><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></body></html>