Jeremiah Chapter 40 — Jeremiah’s Release and Gedaliah’s Rule
Jeremiah is released by the Babylonians and chooses to stay in Judah with the governor Gedaliah, while a plot against the governor is revealed.
1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were carried away captive to Babylon.
2The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The LORD your God pronounced this evil on this place;
3and the LORD has brought it, and done according as he spoke. Because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing has come on you.
4Now, behold, I release you today from the chains which are on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you; but if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, don’t. Behold, all the land is before you. Where it seems good and right to you to go, go there.”
5Now while he had not yet gone back, “Go back then,” he said, “to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wherever it seems right to you to go.”
6Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.
7Now when all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and of the poorest of the land, of those who were not carried away captive to Babylon,
8then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men came to Gedaliah to Mizpah.
9Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.
10As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans who will come to us; but you, gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.”
11Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
12then all the Jews returned out of all places where they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, and gathered very much wine and summer fruits.
13Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
14and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?”
15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, “Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man will know it. Why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?”
16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely of Ishmael.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Jeremiah 40:4
“Now, behold, I release you today from the chains which are on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you; but if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, don’t.”
This verse marks Jeremiah's transition from a prisoner of his own people to a man granted freedom by the conquering Babylonians.
Jeremiah 40:12
“then all the Jews returned out of all places where they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, and gathered very much wine and summer fruits.”
It illustrates a brief moment of hope and agricultural restoration for the survivors remaining in the land.
Chapter Summary
After the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, finds Jeremiah bound in chains among the captives at Ramah and releases him. Acknowledging that the Lord brought destruction upon Judah for their sins, the captain offers Jeremiah the choice to go to Babylon or stay in the land. Jeremiah chooses to stay and joins Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor, at Mizpah. Other Judean military commanders and refugees who had fled to neighboring nations return to Judah, encouraged by Gedaliah’s promise of peace if they serve the Chaldeans. They begin to harvest wine and summer fruits, attempting to rebuild. However, Johanan warns Gedaliah that Ishmael has been sent by the king of Ammon to assassinate him. Despite Johanan’s offer to kill Ishmael secretly to protect the fragile peace of the remnant, Gedaliah refuses to believe the warning, calling it a lie.
Frequently Asked Questions
The captain of the guard recognized that Jeremiah's prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem had come true. He acknowledged the Lord's hand in the city's fall and granted Jeremiah freedom as a gesture of respect or tactical favor.
Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and was appointed by the King of Babylon as the governor over the people who remained in Judah. His role was to oversee the poorest of the land and those not carried into exile, ensuring they remained peaceful subjects of Babylon.
Johanan informed Gedaliah that the king of the Ammonites had sent Ishmael to assassinate him. Johanan even offered to kill Ishmael in secret to prevent the remaining Jews from being scattered and perishing, but Gedaliah did not believe the threat was real.
Study Note
The town of Ramah, mentioned in verse 1, was a significant staging area where captives were gathered before the long trek to exile in Babylon.
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