Jeremiah 41:9 kjv
Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.
Jeremiah 41:9 nkjv
Now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah, was the same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
Jeremiah 41:9 niv
Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
Jeremiah 41:9 esv
Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men whom he had struck down along with Gedaliah was the large cistern that King Asa had made for defense against Baasha king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
Jeremiah 41:9 nlt
The cistern where Ishmael dumped the bodies of the men he murdered was the large one dug by King Asa when he fortified Mizpah to protect himself against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with corpses.
Jeremiah 41 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah 40:14 | "But in that day the nations around will be alarmed; you must come back to me and put the Judean remnant in my charge, with their young and old, your companies and your armies, for I will strike them down myself." | Jeremiah 40:13-14 |
| Jeremiah 41:2 | When Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him heard this, they set out from Mizpah and went. | Jeremiah 41:1-2 |
| Jeremiah 41:10 | Then Ishmael carried off all the remaining people, the daughters of the king and all the people who were left in Mizpah, under the command of Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard. He also took captive Ishmael son of Nethaniah. | Jeremiah 41:10 |
| Jeremiah 40:5 | while Jeremiah was still a captive in Mizpah, word came to him of an upcoming action by Israel. | Jeremiah 40:5 |
| 2 Kings 25:25 | But in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, a member of the royal family, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. | 2 Kings 25:25 |
| Ezekiel 17:22-24 | Yet I, the Lord, will find for them a royal shoot of stature. I will lift it to the highest branch of the cedar; I will press it down from the young twigs of its lofty top. I myself will take a tender shoot from the topmost of its young twigs and will myself transplant it on a high and prominent mountain. On the mountain peak of Israel I will plant it, that it may bring forth branches and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Under it will dwell all kinds of wild animals; in the shade of its branches birds of every kind will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord bring the high tree low and lift the low tree high, that I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree to blossom. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” | Ezekiel 17:22-24 (hope and restoration) |
| Amos 8:4-6 | Hear this, you who trample on the needy, and bring the poor of the land to hunger, saying, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell our grain? And the Sabbath, that we may open our grain-bins and buy wheat and sell it at a devastating price, making the small ephah great and the large shekel false, and falsifying the balances by deceit, that we may buy the weak for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the refuse of the wheat for merchandise?” | Amos 8:4-6 (social injustice echoes) |
| Psalm 41:9 | Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. | Psalm 41:9 (betrayal) |
| Proverbs 3:5-6 | Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. | Proverbs 3:5-6 (contrasts reliance on God vs. human plots) |
| John 13:18 | I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled: ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ | John 13:18 (fulfillment of Ps 41:9) |
| Romans 11:22 | See then the goodness and severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s goodness to you, provided you continue in his goodness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. | Romans 11:22 (consequences of falling away) |
| Galatians 6:7 | Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. | Galatians 6:7 (reaping what you sow) |
| 2 Timothy 3:1-5 | But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, | |
| irreconcilable, slanderous, uncontrolled, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. | 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (character of betrayers) | |
| Matthew 24:10 | And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. | Matthew 24:10 (foretold apostasy and betrayal) |
| Acts 20:30 | and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. | Acts 20:30 (internal betrayal) |
| Zechariah 11:13 | Then I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter. And I said to them, "If it is your will, give me my wages; but if not, let them be." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. | Zechariah 11:13 (symbolic rejection and betrayal) |
| Matthew 27:3-10 | Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was arrested, he repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he left, and went and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.” After conferring together, they bought with the money the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the people of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.” | Matthew 27:3-10 (fulfillment related to betrayal and silver) |
Jeremiah 41 verses
Jeremiah 41 9 Meaning
Ishmael ben Nethaniah's plot to kill Gedaliah, the appointed governor, stemmed from his ambition and possibly his allegiance to the displaced Ammonite king, Baalis. This act was an affront to the authority established by the Babylonians and a disruption to the fragile peace enjoyed by the remnant in Judah. The verse highlights Ishmael's treacherous intent to claim power by eliminating the recognized leader and capturing the remaining people for his own purposes, likely to join the forces hostile to Babylonian rule or Baalis.
Jeremiah 41 9 Context
This verse is situated within the post-exilic period of Judah's history, following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Jeremiah has been urging the remnant to remain in Judah and submit to Babylonian authority. Gedaliah, appointed governor by Nebuchadnezzar, attempts to establish order and encourage the remaining Judeans to settle down. Ishmael's actions in Jeremiah 41 represent a violent opposition to this nascent order and God's intended preservation of a remnant. The historical context is one of political instability and ideological division among the returning exiles, with some desiring to re-establish themselves in the land and others perhaps harboring resentment or alternative loyalties.
Jeremiah 41 9 Word Analysis
- And (וְ - wə): A conjunction indicating connection or continuation, linking Ishmael's planned action to the preceding events or statements.
- Ishmael (יִשְׁמָעֵל - Yišmā‘ēl): Name meaning "God hears." This ironically contrasts with his actions which show a disregard for God's pronouncements. Ishmael was a son of Abraham by Hagar.
- son (בֶּן - ben): Indicates lineage, identifying him through his father Nethaniah.
- of Nethaniah (נְתַנְיָה - Nəṯanyā): Name meaning "Yahweh has given."
- and (וְ - wə): Conjunction.
- certain of the people (מִקְצָת הָעָם - miqṣāṯ hā ‘ām): "A portion of the people." This signifies that Ishmael was not acting alone but had a company of supporters from within the community of Judeans. The term "qāṣāh" relates to a section or part, indicating a faction.
- were listening (שׁוֹמְעִים - šōmə‘îm): From the root שָׁמַע (šāma‘), meaning "to hear." This implies they were receptive to Ishmael's proposals and intentions, agreeing with his plot.
- unto thee (אֵלֶיךָ - ’ēleḵā): Direct address or reference to a person, in this case, implying that Ishmael's evil plan was revealed to or understood by the intended audience, possibly as a warning conveyed to Jeremiah or indirectly to the Judean remnant.
Groups of Words Analysis:
- "Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and certain of the people were listening unto thee": This phrase describes Ishmael's reception of instructions or information, possibly from an external source like Baalis, king of Ammon, whose evil plan Ishmael was acting upon (Jeremiah 41:10). The "people" listening with him indicates the support he had garnered for his treacherous undertaking. It frames Ishmael as an active participant, receptive to the seeds of discord.
Jeremiah 41 9 Bonus Section
Ishmael's name, "God hears," carries a prophetic resonance, though tragically inverted in his character. God did hear the cries of the people and preserved a remnant. However, Ishmael's actions sought to thwart this divine preservation. His plot reflects the continued human tendency to disregard God's guidance and revert to violence and treachery when faced with difficulty, a recurring theme from Cain onwards. The presence of "certain of the people" implies that such treachery can gain a following, preying on discontent or flawed loyalties. This highlights the importance of discernment and standing firm in faith against those who sow discord, a crucial lesson for any community of believers.
Jeremiah 41 9 Commentary
Ishmael's alliance with a faction of the Judean people for malicious purposes underscores the ongoing spiritual and political fragmentation after the fall of Jerusalem. His willingness to conspire and likely carry out an act of assassination reveals a profound moral decay. This verse acts as a harbinger of the violence and instability that followed Gedaliah's governorship, highlighting the contrast between Gedaliah's efforts to rebuild and Ishmael's destructive ambitions. It speaks to the timeless problem of internal division and betrayal within a community facing external threats. The betrayal here echoes themes of disloyalty found throughout Scripture.