Bible Strands
Jeremiah 41:6
And Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When Ishmael encountered the men, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ishmael son of Nethaniah leaves Mizpah to intercept a group of mourning pilgrims returning from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. He approaches them with a deceptive invitation to visit Governor Gedaliah son of Ahikam.
The words — The text highlights יִשְׁמָעֵאל (yish.ma.'El) as the subject and הֹלֵ֥ךְ (ho.Lekh) describing his movement as he goes out. The phrase לִ/קְרָאתָ/ם֙ (li/k.ra.Ta/m) literally means he went out to meet them, establishing the physical encounter.
The thread — The motif of weeping during departure appears in 2 Samuel 3:16, while the pattern of staged emotional appeals masking lethal intent parallels the slaughter described in Jeremiah 41:7. The gathering of pilgrims carrying offerings echoes the future restoration language of Jeremiah 50:4.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition of how outward displays of mourning and hospitality can conceal political violence. It requires the reader to examine how authority figures exploit religious gestures to isolate and destroy opponents.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 3:16 Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he returned home.
- Jeremiah 50:4 “In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, the children of Israel and the children of Judah will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the LORD their God.
- 2 Samuel 1:2 On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.
- Proverbs 26:23 Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.