Bible Strands
Jeremiah 40:12
they all returned from all the places to which they had been banished and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered an abundance of wine grapes and summer fruit.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records a historical moment following the Babylonian conquest, when Jewish communities in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and surrounding territories learn that Gedaliah has been appointed governor over the remnant left in Judah.
The words — The text emphasizes וַ/יָּשֻׁ֣בוּ (va/i.ya.Shu.vu), "and they returned," and נִדְּחוּ (ni.de.chu), "they had been driven away," explicitly contrasting their forced displacement with their subsequent voluntary movement back to Judah.
The thread — This initial return is later undone in Jeremiah 43:5, where Johanan and the army commanders seize the same repatriated remnant and force them to flee to Egypt.
Why it lands — The passage states that displaced people gathered agricultural resources and relocated to Mizpah under Gedaliah's authority, requiring readers to observe how quickly collective action can shift from restoration to flight when leadership faces internal opposition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 43:5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned to the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been scattered,