Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah 40:1

B. Events in Judah After the Fall of Jerusalem (Chaps. 40-42)

1. Jeremiah Dwelling with Governor Gedaliah (Chap. 40)40:1-6 When Nebuzaradan the Chaldean captain of the guard gave Jeremiah the choice of going to Babylon or of staying in the land under the rule of Gedaliah, he hesitated. Noticing this indecision, the captain sent him back to Gedaliah and gave him rations and a gift for the journey. The captain’s use of the name of “the LORD your God” may have been a result of his familiarity with Jewish vocabulary, or it may have been by divine dictation. 40:7-10 Then when all the captains of the armies who were in the fields heard that . . . Gedaliah had been left in charge of some survivors, they came to him at Mizpah, which had now become the capital of the Babylonian province of Judah. He urged them to submit to the Chaldean rule and to resume their usual work. He would represent them to the Chaldeans. 40:11-16 Other Jewish refugees returned to Gedaliah from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other countries and resumed normal activities. Johanan and others warned Gedaliah that Ishmael was deputized by Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, to murder him, and even offered to kill Ishmael secretly. Unfortunately for him, Gedaliah merely accused Johanan of misrepresenting Ishmael.