Jeremiah 41:1-18

41:1-13 | The assassination of Gedaliah and Ishmael, a member of the royal family, shattered the stability of Judah in the aftermath of exile. This heinous crime was not only rebellion against Babylon but also direct disobedience to the word of God from Jeremiah.

41:5-10 | Even after the fall of Jerusalem, Judah’s leaders persist in the same sins. Like Jehoiakim (26:20-23), Ishmael kills with the sword, and he throws the bodies of his victims into a pit, just as the officers had previously done with Jeremiah in an attempt to kill him (38:6).

41:10 | Acting more like a foreign invader, Ishmael takes captives from his own people and leads them out of the land. Ishmael was forced to flee when a military force led by Johanan attempted to put down his insurrection out of fear of Babylonian reprisals for his actions.