Bible Strands
Jeremiah 41:1
In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together there.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Ishmael’s arrival at Mizpah in the seventh month to share a meal with Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor. The account establishes the immediate historical moment preceding a violent coup against the Jewish remnant.
The words — בָּ֣א (ba') = he came. יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל (yish.ma.'El) = Ishmael.
The thread — The gathering at Mizpah and the characters involved are previously introduced in Jeremiah 40:6 and 40:8, while the motif of a trusted associate sharing bread before betrayal is echoed in Psalms 41:9.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note how political assassination is often preceded by ordinary social rituals that mask hostile intent. It asks for sober attention to the historical mechanics of power and treachery without spiritualizing the event.
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
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 unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 40:8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.
- Psalms 41:9 Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
- Jeremiah 40:6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
- 2 Samuel 3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
- 2 Samuel 20:9 “Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
- 2 Kings 11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.
- 2 Kings 25:25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
- 2 Chronicles 22:10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah.
- Psalms 109:5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
- Proverbs 13:10 Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.