Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Jeremiah · Chapter 41
CHAP. XLI.
IN this Chapter the Prophet goeth on in relating the History of Ishmaels treachery against Gedaliah the Governour, according to the warning given him thereof before Chap. 40. And the time is noted, viz. the seventh monethmonth, that is, three moneths after the taking of Jerusalem, as we may see, Chap. 39 2.
Here is shewed, how after the killing of the Governour, and the men with Vers. 5.him, and the Garison left there of Caldeans to guard him, he proceeded to exercise more barbarous cruelty amongst eighty men that came from Samaria, Sichem and Shiloh, with Offerings and Frankincense in their hand, weeping, their beards shaven, their garments rent, and their flesh cut, to offer in the house of the Lord: for he met them, and feigned sorrow likewise, by weeping for the common calamity, and said, That he would bring them to Gedaliah, but when he had them in the City, he cruelly slew them. He with his Joseph. l. 10. Antiq. c. 11.ten companions the Captains that came with him, had not only slain Gedaliah before, but also many others, as hath been said, which as Josephus saith was done thus, They slew Gedaliah at the Supper, to which he had kindly invited them, and all the Jews about him, then going out in the night, the Caldees, being secure, and not fearing any enemies, and all others that they found in the City. Otherwise it were strange that eleven men should kill so many. Touching these eighty coming together to offer in the house of the Lord in so lamentable a manner, a Question may be moved, How it happened when the City and Temple were destroyed, three moneths before the one, and two moneths the other, they should now come to make Offerings there? Some answer, That they yet knew it not: but this is improbable, because Shiloh, from whence some of them came, was but twelve miles from Jerusalem, and the lamentable case wherein they came, also evinceth, that they knew it, this being the cause of so exceeding great grief unto them. Lyra and after him Calvin therefore Lyra. Calv.acknowledge, That the destruction of the City and Temple was not hid from them, but that seeing it was so, that no Offerings could now be made there, they came with their Ofterings to Mizpah, as a place famous of old for the worship done to God upon an Altar there. But forsomuch as we read not of any Altar now re-erected in that place, and it is expresly said, That they were bent to go with their Offerings to the house of the Lord, which could be none other, but the Temple at Jerusalem, it is rather to be held with some others, that they came to Mizpah to Gedaliah, as the Governour, at his direction to go from thence to Jerusalem to make their Offerings in the place where the house of God stood, although it were now burnt down, supposing haply that it was not so burnt, but that an Altar or some part thereof might be standing still, whereupon such Offering as they carried might be offered, if there were any Priest with the Ruler in Mizpah: for it was foreign a Meat offering and Frankincense only, no Sacrifice. And that they might think to go thither to lament the destruction of the City and Temple, and to pray even after the destruction of both, is not improbable, because, as Jerom sheweth upon Zeph. 1. Hieron.the Jews used to come sometimes to the place where the Temple stood, after the destruction thereof by the Romans, and there to lament it, giving money to the souldiers that kept it, to have leave to come and do so. For their renting their garments, and coming in a pitiful manner, herein they did nothing strange, but as was usual in those parts in time of extream sorrow: but for cutting themselves, this was forbidden to the Jews, as being the manner of Levit. 19. 27, 28.the Heathen, or to cut the corners of their beards, How was it then justifiable in these men to do so? Calvin answers, That they did it not after the manner Calvin.of the Heathen in an artificial manner, or affecting to do so for imitation of them, but being by extream sorrow forced hereunto, and to move others to sorrow. But forsomuch as there is no such expression of the Heathen Levit. 19. 28. another solution, I conceive, may be better, either to acknowledge an errour in these men through ignorance of the Law in those blinde times, or a transportation through passion to exceed in their outward expressions of sorrow, unlesse it shall be thought that charge given Levit. 19. & Deut. 4. is to be restrained to the case of sorrowing for the dead, not extending to a case of such a publick calamity as this. The Vulgar Latine to avoid this Question leaveth out that of cutting themselves, and speaketh only of their beard cut, their garments rent, and their being squalidous. But what moved Ishmael to this unparallel'd cruelty towards so many innocent men? Verily nothing, but his pride, disdaining that Gedaliah should be preferred above him whenas he was of the bloud-royal, and by these mens coming to Gedaliah he perceived them to be such as put themselves under his protection, therefore to strengthen himself the more to get the Government into his own hands, he thought it good policy to weaken Gedaliah his part, as much as he could, and to this end he insinuated himself into them by feigning the like grief by weeping also, to make them the more secure, whereupon Gregory, The Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light, to deceive and destroy the servants of God even in their approaches unto him, getting into their hearts, when they are in their devotions, and even then killing them, so that they had need to be very circumspect and carefull to keep him out, by not suffering any by-thoughts in their mindes at the time of Prayer. The substance whereof I have from Gregory, but to expresse it in these words, I thought fittest for the better understanding.
Gregor. 1. Moral. 38. Ishmael Note. plorans est Satanas, qui ut devotas mentes interimat se quasi sub velamine virtutis occultat, & dum concordare severè lugentibus simulat ad cordis intima securiùs admissus, hoc quod intùs de virtute latet, occidit. Divinis ergo operibus deditae mentes, nisi magna se circumspectione custodiant hoste surripiente dum devotionis hostiam portant, in ipso itinere vitam perdunt.
Amongst the eighty men against whom Ishmael raged so, there were ten Vers. 8.that pleaded for their lives, saying, We have wheat, barley, oyl and honey hidden, and so were spared. Whereby we may see, that greediness of gain wrought as well with him, as ambition and cruelty, in that he spared the lives of these men for the benefit which he hoped to reap by them. Wheat and barley, Heb. Note. are words of the plural number, to shew a great quantity, whereof these conspiratours might have need enough in that time of famine. For those that were so unworthily slain, and for Gedaliah, a good man likewise slain before, it may seem strange that God should suffer goodnesse and piety to be so ill rewarded: but it was for the best to them, they were but thus taken away from greater evils that followed soon after, Johanans opposing the Prophet Jeremiah about going down into Egypt, and the great miseries afterwards suffered by all that went to sojourn there. Thus Calvin, whereunto we may adde, That in respect of outward things, All things fall out alike unto all, to the righteous Calvin. Eccl. 9. 2.and the wicked: so that one may be unjustly murthered as well as another, and Cain is suffered to kill Abel for the aggravating of his sinne and condemnation, and the encrease of his recompence of reward: and there can be no greater happinesse then to die as these men did, in the time of their true and hearty devotion to God and his service, as a Captain cannot die more honourably then standing, a Souldier fighting, a Pastour teaching or praying.
The men slain by Ishmael he casteth into a pit made formerly by Asa King of Vers. 9.Judah. This pit or lake is not spoken of before 2 Chron. 16. where the History of Asa is set forth, but only of stones taken by Asa from Ramah, which Basha had built against him, and therewith building Mizpah and Geba, whereby we may see, that in the general terms of building or repairing these Cities, doing something else the more to fortifie them was also meant, which is thought by Calvin to have been the building of a Tower with ditches about it in the midst, that if the enemy should at any time break in, he might be able to goe no further, but have his course there stopped, and the Citizens might be therein saved. But Lyra, Raban, Hugo, take it to have been a pit made and wrought Lyra. Raban.deep and strong, bound about with Stone and Lime to hold water; that upon a Siege they within might be the better able to hold out, and not be forced to yield for want of Water, as sometimes it happeneth, that they of that place are; and this is most probable, because a Tower in the midst of the City is not usefull for defence, as at the end thereof, to keep Enemies from entring.
Then Ishmael took and carried away into the Ammonites Land the people that Vers. 10.remained, and the Kings Daughters. Most probably, he had by this time many ill-affected persons that resorted to him, by whose help he was able to doe this. And touching the Kings Daughters, here is nothing said repugnant to the History Chapter 39. where Zedekiah his sons are said to have been flain before his face; for nothing is there said of his Daughters, they it seems were left with Gedaliah, but now by their own kinsman, who was full of all wickednesse, carried with many more of his own brethren, Jewes, into the Ammonites Countrey, to suffer there, God knowes what misery and contumely. It seems, that he had made a League with the King to doe this, that there being little force of resistance left in Judea, he might come and bring that Kingdome under his Dominion also, Ishmael having large promises from him of some Principality under him there to effect it, which made him thus active.
But this Tyrant having raged hitherto, vengeance now sleepeth not, for he is Vers. 11, 12.pursued by the Sons of Kareah, Captains before spoken of, and their men, and overtaken at the great waters and Gibeon, he haply making some stay there to refresh his Company. But his Captives seeing the new forces coming, revolted from him, together with all such as had formerly taken part with him, so that he was inforced to flee into Ammon with fewer men by two, than he had brought with him to Mispah, which could not but be more shame to him before the King of Ammon, and vexation to his proud heart, than death it self.
Johannes the Son of Kareah, having recovered the Captives, returned no Vers. 17.more to Mizpah with them, but went to the habitation of Chimham near Bethlehem, to go from thence into Egypt. The word rendred habitation, is foreign, Calvin.which Calvin takes to be a proper Name, reading it, Geruth Chimham. And so the Septuagint, and Tigur. Translation: The Vulgar Latin, Peregrinantes in Kimham: But if the word be taken appellatively, it is, In the Peregrination of Kimham: 2 Sam. 19.That is, where Kimham, the Son of Barzillai, went with David when he returned, after Absoloms destruction, to Jerusalem; for David having found Barzillai a kinde friend unto him in the time of those his streights, would have had him to goe to Zion with him; but he being very aged refused, and commended unto him his Son Kimham, whom David accepted; and as Josephus saith, gave him a village near Bethlehem, being ever since called Geruth Kimham.