Jeremiah 40:16

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

40:7-16 Jeremiah had never in his prophecies spoken of any good days for the Jews, to come immediately after the captivity; yet Providence seemed to encourage such an expectation. But how soon is this hopeful prospect blighted! When God begins a judgment, he will complete it. While pride, ambition, or revenge, bears rule in the heart, men will form new projects, and be restless in mischief, which commonly ends in their own ruin. Who would have thought, that after the destruction of Jerusalem, rebellion would so soon have sprung up? There can be no thorough change but what grace makes. And if the miserable, who are kept in everlasting chains for the judgment of the great day, were again permitted to come on earth, the sin and evil of their nature would be unchanged. Lord, give us new hearts, and that new mind in which the new birth consists, since thou hast said we cannot without it see thy heavenly kingdom.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is difficult to say what object Baalis can have had in murdering Gedaliah. As an ally of Zedekiah Jeremiah 27:3, he may have had a spite against the family of Ahikam for opposing, as most probably they did at Jeremiah's instigation, the league proposed Jeremiah 27. Ishmael's motive was envy and spite at seeing a subject who had always opposed the war now invested with kingly power, in place of the royal family.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16. thou speakest falsely—a mystery of providence that God should permit the righteous, in spite of warning, thus to rush into the trap laid for them! Isa 57:1 suggests a solution.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Thus God dementates those whom he designeth to destroy. Gedaliah in this showeth an excellent temper, not to be over-credulous and suspicious, Charity thinks no ill, but not that prudence which became a chief magistrate. He ought to have been watchful against one against whom he had received such an information, which we shall in the next chapter find he was not, but was slain by him.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah,.... In answer to his request, and the motion made by him:

thou shalt not do this thing; or, "do not do this thing" (z); dissuading him from it, as being unlawful to take away a man's life in such a secret manner, without any legal process against him; though it seems to carry more in it, that he laid his commands upon him not to do it, and threatened him if he did:

for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael; or "a lie" (a); a falsehood, a mere calumny; which was not using Johanan well, neither kindly nor genteelly, who had expressed such a concern for him, and for the public good. The event related in the following chapter shows that the information was good, and that it was no lie or calumny that was told; and it would have been well for Gedaliah, and the people of the Jews, had he given credit to it; but the time was not come for the Jewish commonwealth to be restored; and things were thus suffered to be, for the further punishment of the sins of that people.

(z) "noli facere hoc verbum", V. L. "ne facias verbum hoc", Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt. (a) "mendacium", Schmidt; "falsum", Pagninus, Montanus.

Geneva Study Bible

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt {h} not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

(h) Thus the godly who think no harm to others are soonest deceived and never lack such as conspire their destruction.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ch. Jeremiah 40:1-6. Jeremiah is released and returns to Gedaliah

Du., Co. and Erbt agree in the view that there were different legendary accounts in connexion with Jeremiah’s fortunes immediately subsequent to the capture of the city and that this section represents one of them. It is certainly difficult, in the absence of further information, to reconcile satisfactorily Jeremiah 39:11-14 with the present passage. It is, however, possible that, in the absence of his protector Gedaliah from Jerusalem, he was again put in fetters through ignorance of his right to immunity and only set free after reaching Ramah, when the mistake was rectified by the intervention of Gedaliah or otherwise. In any case Jeremiah 40:1 is a later addition, as no utterance from the Lord follows. The captain of the guard’s words in Jeremiah 40:2-3 are obviously unsuited to the speaker, although they are such as a Hebrew writer would put into Nebuzaradan’s mouth. Cp. 2 Kings 18:25.

The section may be summarized thus.

Jeremiah 40:1-6. Jeremiah is taken in chains to Ramah. There Nebuzaradan, after declaring that Jerusalem’s fall was a just consequence of the people’s sins, gives the prophet his choice between going with him to Babylon, and dwelling with Gedaliah or elsewhere as he may choose. Jeremiah decides on going to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

Jeremiah 40:16

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Gedaliah is forewarned of Ishmael's intention to murder him. - After the return of those who had taken refuge in Moab, etc., Johanan the son of Kareah, together with the rest of the captains who were scattered here and there through the country, came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, to say to him: "Dost thou know indeed that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take thy life?" The words "that were in the country" are neither a gloss, nor a thoughtless repetition by some scribe from Jeremiah 40:7 (as Hitzig and Graf suppose), but they are repeated for the purpose of distinguishing plainly between the captains with their men from the Jews who had returned out of Moab, Ammon, and Edom. הכּות, "to strike the soul, life" equals to kill; cf. Genesis 37:21; Deuteronomy 19:6. What induced the king of Ammon to think of assassination - whether it was personal hostility towards Gedaliah, or the hope of destroying the only remaining support of the Jews, and thereby perhaps putting himself in possession of the country, - cannot be determined. That he employed Ishmael for the accomplishment of his purpose, may have been owing to the fact that this man had a personal envy of Gedaliah; for Ishmael, being sprung from the royal family (Jeremiah 40:1), probably could not endure being subordinate to Gedaliah. - The plot had become known, and Gedaliah was secretly informed of it by Johanan; but the former did not believe the rumour. Johanan then secretly offered to slay Ishmael, taking care that no one should know who did it, and urged compliance in the following terms: "Why should he slay thee, and all the Jews who have gathered themselves round thee be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?" Johanan thus called his attention to the evil consequences which would result to the remnant left in the land were he killed; but Gedaliah replied, "Do not this thing, for thou speakest a lie against Ishmael." The Qeri needlessly changes אל־תּעשׂ into אל־תּעשׂה; cf. Jeremiah 39:12.