Bible Strands
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,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jeremiah records the immediate aftermath of God’s command for the remnant to remain in Judah. At this moment, Johanan son of Kareah and the military commanders actively gather the displaced population to leave the land.
The words — וַ/יִּקַּ֞ח (va/i.yi.Kach) = "and he took" (H3947) denotes the physical act of seizing and transporting the people. שָׂרֵ֣י הַ/חֲיָלִ֔ים (sa.Rei ha./cha.ya.Lim) = "commanders of the armies" (H8269/H2428) identifies the specific leadership group executing the departure.
The thread — The displaced population parallels the remnant mentioned in Jeremiah 40:11 that the Babylonian king left behind. The military leadership appears again in Jeremiah 41:15 when Johanan’s forces are bypassed by Ishmael’s escape to Ammon.
Why it lands — The text documents the concrete execution of human rebellion against a direct divine prohibition. It requires the reader to observe how institutional authority and collective fear override stated divine instruction.
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
But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 40:11 When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and all the other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them,
- 1 Samuel 26:19 Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
- Jeremiah 41:15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went to the Ammonites.