40:2a And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said to
him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this
place.
(a) From (Jer 40:2-42:7) it seems to be as a
parenthesis and separated matter and there this story
begins again and this vision is declared what it was.
40:3 Now the LORD hath brought [it], and done according as he
hath said: because ye have b sinned against the LORD, and
have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come
upon you.
(b) God moved this infidel to speak this to declare the
great blindness and obstinacy of the Jews who could not
feel that which this heathen man confessed.
40:6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to c
Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left
in the land.
(c) Which was a city of Judah.
40:7 Now when all the captains of the forces d 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, and women, and
children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were
not carried away captive to Babylon;
(d) Which were scattered abroad for fear of the Chaldeans.
40:8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even e 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 a
Maachathite, they and their men.
(e) Who was of the king's blood and later slew him,
(Jer 41:2).
40:11 Likewise when all the Jews that [were] in f Moab, and
among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that [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;
(f) Which were fed also for fear of the Chaldeans.
40:14 And said to him, Dost thou certainly know that g Baalis
the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam
believed them not.
(g) For under the colour of entertaining Ishmael, he
sought only to make them destroy one another.
40:16 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.
