2 Kings 25 25

2 Kings 25:25 kjv

But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

2 Kings 25:25 nkjv

But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

2 Kings 25:25 niv

In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.

2 Kings 25:25 esv

But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

2 Kings 25:25 nlt

But in midautumn of that year, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah. He also killed all the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.

2 Kings 25 verses

2 Kings 25 25 Meaning

2 Kings 25:25 describes a pivotal and tragic event following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem: the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar over the remaining Jewish population. This act was perpetrated by Ishmael, a man of royal descent, along with ten accomplices. Gedaliah, along with the Jews and Chaldean soldiers who were with him at Mizpah, were killed. This single event led to the final desperate flight of the remnant of Judah into Egypt, effectively ending any lingering presence of organized Jewish governance in the land until the return from exile decades later.

2 Kings 25 25 Context

2 Kings 25 details the final tragic fall of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. It opens with the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, in the 19th year of his reign (around 586 BC). The city's walls were breached, the Temple was looted and burned, and the people, including King Zedekiah, were carried into exile. However, a small remnant of the poorest people was left in the land to tend to the vineyards and fields. Over them, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor, establishing his administrative seat at Mizpah. Gedaliah, with the support of the prophet Jeremiah, urged the people to submit to Babylonian rule for their well-being, assuring them that peace could be found in stability. The verse in question marks the end of this fragile, brief period of attempted governance under Gedaliah, leading to complete depopulation of Judah, except for those who fled to Egypt, thereby completing the judgments prophesied against the nation for their unfaithfulness.

2 Kings 25 25 Word analysis

• But it came to pass: This common biblical transitional phrase (wayhi in Hebrew) often signals the commencement of a new event, frequently one of significance or consequence. Here, it introduces the tragic turning point.
• in the seventh month: This precise temporal marker signifies that the assassination occurred a few months after Jerusalem's destruction (which happened in the fifth month, 2 Kgs 25:8). It denotes the swiftness with which stability dissolved after the capital's fall.
• that Ishmael: The assassin's name (יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Yishma'el) means "God hears" or "God will hear." This name stands in stark ironic contrast to his actions, which were utterly against God's revealed will through Jeremiah for the remnant to stay in the land under Gedaliah. He was a ruthless and deceptive individual.
• the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family: Ishmael's genealogy is provided to establish his aristocratic and royal lineage. This detail is crucial; being "of the royal family" (מִזֶּרַע הַמְּלוּכָה, mizzera‘ hammlukah) implies he was a descendant of Judah's royal line (possibly through David), potentially viewing Gedaliah, who was not of royal descent but a Babylonian appointee, as an illegitimate leader. This suggests a motivation for his act: an attempt to seize power or restore a native monarchical rule, even at this desperate stage, disregarding God's clear judgment upon the kingdom.
• came, and ten men with him: Ishmael's arrival with a specific number of men indicates a deliberate, organized conspiracy and premeditated violence rather than a spontaneous act. These men were his co-conspirators in this murderous plot.
• and smote Gedaliah: The verb "smote" (וַיַּכּוּ, wayyakku, from nakah) means to strike, hit, or kill. This direct and violent act of assassination reveals the depth of Ishmael's malice and his rejection of the tenuous peace that Gedaliah represented. This action utterly destroyed any vestige of local Jewish leadership.
• that he died: The unambiguous result of the smiting, confirming the complete and irreversible consequence of Ishmael's treacherous act.
• and the Jews and the Chaldeans: The victims included not only Gedaliah but also the Jewish people who had gathered around him and the Babylonian soldiers (Kasdim in Hebrew, meaning Chaldeans) stationed with Gedaliah to support the Babylonian-appointed government. This highlights the widespread slaughter and the extreme danger Gedaliah's assassins posed to everyone connected with the fragile remnant administration.
• that were with him at Mizpah: Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, Mitzpah - meaning "watchtower") was chosen as Gedaliah's administrative center after Jerusalem's destruction (Jer 40:6-7). It had historical significance as a gathering place (1 Sam 7:5-6). Its selection reflected an attempt to establish a new, albeit subdued, Jewish political presence, which Ishmael's act utterly undermined.

2 Kings 25 25 Bonus section

The assassination of Gedaliah by Ishmael is observed annually by some Jews as the Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah), on the third day of the month of Tishrei (the seventh month of the ecclesiastical calendar), serving as a national day of mourning. This fast day is directly linked to the events of 2 Kings 25:25 and Jeremiah 41. It underscores the profound and long-lasting impact of this seemingly small, localized act of violence on the destiny of the Jewish people and highlights how it became a symbol of national calamity, akin to the destruction of the Temple itself. The memory of this act serves as a reminder of the fragility of peace, the consequences of internal division, and the devastating results when even a remnant fails to heed God's direction through His chosen servants.

2 Kings 25 25 Commentary

2 Kings 25:25 captures the complete and tragic unraveling of the Kingdom of Judah after the Babylonian conquest. Ishmael's treacherous assassination of Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor, represents a final, self-destructive act by elements within Judah's royal lineage who refused to accept divine judgment and Babylonian suzerainty. Gedaliah's brief, pragmatic leadership offered a faint hope for the remnant, urging them to live peacefully under foreign rule, in alignment with God's word through Jeremiah. However, Ishmael, driven by ambition, pride in his royal lineage, or misguided patriotism, sabotaged this last possibility of stability. His act led not to renewed sovereignty but to further terror, flight, and the complete scattering of the Jewish population, effectively emptying the land of any organized Israelite presence until the return from exile. This verse underlines the destructive nature of internal strife, rejection of wise counsel, and refusal to acknowledge the consequences of long-term rebellion against God, cementing the dire warnings previously given by prophets.