Jeremiah 41 10

Jeremiah 41:10 kjv

Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 41:10 nkjv

Then Ishmael carried away captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over to the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 41:10 niv

Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah?the king's daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 41:10 esv

Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were left at Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 41:10 nlt

Then Ishmael made captives of the king's daughters and the other people who had been left under Gedaliah's care in Mizpah by Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard. Taking them with him, he started back toward the land of Ammon.

Jeremiah 41 verses

Jeremiah 41 10 meaning

Jeremiah 41:10 records Ishmael's treacherous act of forcibly taking captive the remaining population of Mizpah, including the daughters of the king. These people had been entrusted by the Babylonian captain of the guard, Nebuzaradan, to Gedaliah, the governor appointed over Judah's remnant. Ishmael’s intention was to lead them across the Jordan River to the Ammonites, thereby fully dismantling the fragile new administration and further plunging the surviving Judeans into chaos and danger.

Jeremiah 41 10 Context

This verse is set in the turbulent aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. While most Judeans were carried into exile, a small remnant, primarily the poor and those who had defected to the Babylonians, was left in the land under the governorship of Gedaliah. Gedaliah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to govern from Mizpah and was urged by Jeremiah to accept Babylonian rule and cultivate the land. This represented a slim hope for the nation's recovery within the promised land, under God's appointed circumstances, despite foreign rule.

However, this fragile peace was shattered by Ishmael, a disgruntled member of the royal family with possible Ammonite backing, who brutally assassinated Gedaliah. After the assassination, Ishmael murdered a group of pilgrims and then forcibly captured the remaining inhabitants of Mizpah. Jeremiah 41:10 details the grim next step in Ishmael's treacherous scheme: his plan to flee with his captives to Ammon. This event is pivotal as it marked the utter collapse of any legitimate leadership within Judah and foreshadowed the final flight of the remnant to Egypt, defying divine instructions delivered through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 41 10 Word analysis

• Then (וַיְשַׁבּוּ, vayishbu): This temporal connector indicates the immediate consequence of Ishmael's previous murderous acts. It signals the progression of his malicious plan, following the assassination of Gedaliah.
• Ishmael (יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Yishmael): Descendant of the Judean royal family, his name means "God hears." This is tragically ironic given his violent rebellion against the divinely-permitted administration of Gedaliah and his leading of God's people away from His counsel. He acted as an instrument of chaos and a symbol of inner corruption.
• carried away captive (שָׁבָה, shavah): This Hebrew verb denotes forcible abduction or enslavement. It signifies a forceful act of taking prisoners, often after battle or conquest. It highlights the non-consensual nature of the movement, reducing the people to spoils or pawns.
• all the rest of the people: This phrase emphasizes the completeness of Ishmael's sweep. No one remaining in Mizpah was spared from his capture, underlining his ruthless efficiency in securing control over the remnant.
• who were in Mizpah: Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, Mitzpah), meaning "watchtower" or "outlook," served as the administrative center after Jerusalem's fall. It symbolized the fragile continuity of a Jewish presence in the land, a continuity Ishmael now shattered.
• the king's daughters: A highly significant detail. These women, likely princesses or other female relatives of the Judean royal house, carried symbolic weight as potential carriers of the Davidic line or at least representatives of Judah's heritage. Their vulnerability underscores the chaos and the lack of protection. Ishmael likely captured them to use as leverage or to sell as valuable captives.
• and all the people who remained in Mizpah: Reinforces the widespread nature of the captivity, indicating the totality of the group he intended to take.
• whom Nebuzaradan: Nebuzaradan (נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן, Nevuzar’adan), the Babylonian captain of the guard, was the direct representative of Babylonian authority. He was responsible for the post-exilic arrangement and Gedaliah's appointment, marking Ishmael's actions as a direct affront to established power and the "yoke of Babylon" (Jer 27:8) which God had instructed Judah to accept.
• the captain of the guard had committed: The verb "committed" (פָּקַד, paqad) means to entrust, appoint, or visit. It signifies Nebuzaradan’s formal delegation of responsibility and authority to Gedaliah for the welfare of the remnant. Ishmael’s actions are a betrayal of this entrusted care.
• to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: Gedaliah (גְּדַלְיָהוּ, Gedalyahu) was a righteous, pro-Babylonian governor, the last legitimate Jewish leader in Judah for many generations, after the fall of Jerusalem. His assassination by Ishmael initiated this new stage of turmoil. His father, Ahikam, had protected Jeremiah (Jer 26:24).
• Ishmael carried them away captive and set out: Repetition emphasizes the active and determined nature of Ishmael's abduction. The action is purposeful, a direct continuation of his rebellious scheme. "Set out" signifies the journey's commencement.
• to cross over: This phrase highlights the movement across a physical boundary, implying leaving the established territory under Babylonian (and implicitly, Yahweh’s) allowance for remaining in the land. The immediate destination for "crossing over" from Judah would be across the Jordan River.
• to the Ammonites: The Ammonites (בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן, Bene Ammon), perennial adversaries of Israel and known for their treachery (Eze 25:2-7). Ishmael's flight to them indicated a deliberate choice to align with a foreign enemy, forsaking his people and the land of Judah. It marked his intention to seek refuge and probably consolidate power with an anti-Judean force.

Jeremiah 41 10 Bonus section

• The capture of "the king's daughters" might have held political significance beyond simple kidnapping. Ishmael, himself of royal lineage, could have intended to marry them, thereby legitimizing his claim to power among his Ammonite patrons, or used them as hostages for some future political bargaining.
• The number of people mentioned "whom Nebuzaradan...had committed to Gedaliah" implies a considerable portion of the non-exiled population. This makes Ishmael's action even more devastating, as he essentially captured the bulk of the remaining Judean presence, pushing the land into a state of virtual abandonment save for a few pockets.
• Ishmael's actions, leading the people "to cross over to the Ammonites," directly contradicted the divine command for the remnant to remain in the land, rebuild, and accept the Babylonian rule, which Jeremiah had prophetically affirmed as God's will. This choice highlighted a deep spiritual rebellion, placing foreign protection and personal ambition above obedience to Yahweh.
• Mizpah’s significance as a meeting place and administrative center was ironically transformed by Ishmael into a scene of further devastation and captivity, echoing previous periods of Israelite distress that began in Mizpah, such as the episode of the Levite's concubine (Judg 19-21) or Samuel’s reforms after Philistine oppression (1 Sam 7).

Jeremiah 41 10 Commentary

Jeremiah 41:10 is a somber depiction of the complete unraveling of Judah's post-exilic hopes. Ishmael's treachery, far from being a singular act of regicide, extended to the wholesale abduction of the vulnerable remnant entrusted to Gedaliah. By forcibly removing "all the rest of the people" including the "king's daughters," Ishmael not only nullified Babylonian administrative order but also extinguished any lingering hope of a self-sustaining Jewish community in Judah. His intent to flee to the Ammonites, traditional enemies of Israel, underscored his profound disregard for his own people and the land Yahweh had given them. This verse foreshadows the larger and tragic rejection of divine counsel that would culminate in the remnant's eventual flight to Egypt, cementing the exile and delay of Judah's true restoration.