Chapter 41 of Yirmiyahu recounts one of the darkest chapters in Jewish history: the assassination of Gedaliahu ben Achikam, the last remnant of Jewish governance in the land following the Churban. The chapter opens with a shared meal and ends with a flight toward Egypt. Let us follow the pesukim and see how the Malbim explains the motives, the deception, and the aftermath.
וַיְהִי בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בָּא יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה בֶן־אֱלִישָׁמָע מִזֶּרַע הַמְּלוּכָה וְרַבֵּי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַעֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים אִתּוֹ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיֹּאכְלוּ שָׁם לֶחֶם יַחְדָּו בַּמִּצְפָּה׃ - And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Yishmael the son of Netanyah the son of Elishama, of royal lineage, and chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliahu the son of Achikam to Mitzpah; and there they ate bread together in Mitzpah.
The text here enumerates several reasons that drove Yishmael ben Netanyah to this abominable act of murder. The first reason: "of royal lineage." Yishmael ben Netanyah was of royal blood. Take this as a general rule: a person who has once tasted power will never willingly relinquish it. He will always feel: power rightfully belongs to me; I am of royal descent, why should I sit idly by? He will constantly scheme and plot to reclaim his rule. For this reason, Yishmael envied the governorship of Gedaliahu ben Achikam: Why did they appoint him? I should have received the appointment.
For this reason, there was a well-known custom in ancient times: when a new king arose to reign, he would purge the court - killing all the descendants of the previous king to ensure that no rebel would rise against him. Today, something similar is done in government offices, except that people are fired rather than killed; and if they could, they would kill them too.
With David, who was a pious king, we see the exact opposite. Not only did he not seek to eliminate the descendants of Shaul, but when someone killed Mephiboshet - King David became enraged with him and had him killed. Furthermore, David took care to inquire whether any descendant of Yehonatan remained, whether there was anyone with whom he could perform chesed. He devoted much thought to finding ways to benefit and assist the members of the House of Shaul, doing them more and more good.
An additional reason is hinted at in the words "and chief officers of the king" - the ministers of the king. Rashi comments: they envied him for having attained greatness. In their eyes, too, Gedaliahu's rise was intolerable, and so they conspired together with Yishmael ben Netanyah.
וַיָּקָם יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה וַעֲשֶׂרֶת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־הָיוּ אִתּוֹ וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן בַּחֶרֶב וַיָּמֶת אֹתוֹ אֲשֶׁר־הִפְקִיד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בָּאָרֶץ׃ - Then Yishmael the son of Netanyah arose, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliahu the son of Achikam the son of Shafan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.
The one who elevated Gedaliahu to prominence was Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylon; he granted him the appointment because he knew he was a man who would not rebel against him. Here lies the hint to the second motive for the murder: "whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the land" - as if to say: do you, king of Babylon, seek to turn Eretz Yisrael into just another vassal state of yours? Absolutely not.
This was particularly so because Yishmael ben Netanyah was an emissary of Baalis, king of Ammon, who despised the king of Babylon. From his perspective, it was a thorn in his side: here, right in my backyard, the king of Babylon is consolidating control. He therefore sent Yishmael to assassinate Gedaliahu, Babylon's representative, to prevent Babylon from gaining a foothold in the region.
וְאֵת כׇּל־הַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר־הָיוּ אִתּוֹ אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בַּמִּצְפָּה וְאֶת־הַכַּשְׂדִּים אֲשֶׁר נִמְצְאוּ־שָׁם אֵת אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה הִכָּה יִשְׁמָעֵאל׃ - "And all the Jews who were with him, with Gedalyahu at Mitzpah, and the Kasdim who were found there, the men of war, Yishmael struck down."
"All the Jews who were with him" - these were those who assisted and supported Gedalyahu, his men of war; all of them he killed. But the simple Jews who lived there he did not kill. The nuance lies in the word "et" (אֶת), meaning "with": those who were with Gedalyahu - them he killed.
He also killed the Kasdim, because he hated them, since through them the king of Babylon sought to maintain a foothold here. And this is what the verse clarifies by stating "the men of war" - the Kasdim were all men of war. In contrast, among the Jews there were two groups: the impoverished folk of the land and the men of war, and he struck down only the men of war, not the ordinary Jews, the vinedressers and the plowmen.
וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי לְהָמִית אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ וְאִישׁ לֹא יָדָע׃ - "And it was on the second day after he had killed Gedalyahu, and no man knew."
Yishmael acted shrewdly and concealed Gedalyahu's death. Why? Because he sought to devise a scheme - how to "frame" Gedalyahu with a pretext that would justify the murder in the eyes of the people. Therefore, he did not publicize it yet: only once he possessed a seemingly justified reason would he announce the deed and win popular support for his actions. And indeed, a supposed moral justification soon presented itself, as we shall see in the coming verses.
וַיָּבֹאוּ אֲנָשִׁים מִשְּׁכֶם מִשִּׁלוֹ וּמִשֹּׁמְרוֹן שְׁמֹנִים אִישׁ מְגֻלְּחֵי זָקָן וּקְרֻעֵי בְגָדִים וּמִתְגֹּדְדִים וּמִנְחָה וּלְבוֹנָה בְּיָדָם לְהָבִיא בֵּית יְהֹוָה׃ - "There came men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Shomron, eighty men, having their beards shaved, their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with meal-offerings and frankincense in their hands, to bring them to the House of Hashem."
They set out from their homes to bring a meal-offering and frankincense to the House of Hashem, but along the way, the bitter news reached them that the Beit HaMikdash had been destroyed. Consequently, they began shaving their beards, tearing their clothes, and lacerating themselves - a form of drawing blood and cutting oneself - all as a sign of mourning and grief over not having merited to come and offer sacrifices in the Beit HaMikdash, which was now in ruins.
וַיֵּצֵא יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה לִקְרָאתָם מִן־הַמִּצְפָּה הֹלֵךְ הָלֹךְ וּבֹכֶה וַיְהִי כִּפְגֹשׁ אֹתָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם בֹּאוּ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם׃ - "And Yishmael son of Netanyah went out from Mitzpah to meet them, weeping as he went; and it came to pass, as he met them, he said to them: 'Come to Gedalyahu son of Achikam.'"
וַיְהִי כְּבוֹאָם אֶל־תוֹךְ הָעִיר וַיִּשְׁחָטֵם יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה אֶל־תּוֹךְ הַבּוֹר הוּא וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ׃ - "And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Yishmael son of Netanyah slaughtered them into the midst of the pit, he and the men who were with him."
The Malbim explains: Here Ishmael created a cover story for himself for the assassination of Gedaliah. He wanted word to spread that Gedaliah was the one who had ordered the execution of these eighty men, on the grounds that they were mourning the burning of the Beit HaMikdash. And what would he gain by this? Everyone who heard would understand that Nebuchadnezzar had commanded Gedaliah to execute anyone mourning the destruction of Jerusalem; for anyone mourning the destruction of Jerusalem is essentially opposing Nebuchadnezzar and declaring that his deed was wrong - an offense punishable by death.
Therefore, ostensibly, Gedaliah had them executed: he was Nebuchadnezzar's appointee, and it pained him to see people mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, which was an affront to his "boss." Through this, Ishmael would have justification for his deed: Gedaliah killed eighty innocent people merely because they mourned for Jerusalem.
Now it becomes clear why he went out toward them "weeping as he went": ostensibly, he was lamenting and weeping over the terrible order Gedaliah had given him to execute these poor people. "What can I do? Gedaliah sent me to kill you, because you are mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, and this does not sit well with Nebuchadnezzar." And this is the meaning of "Come to Gedaliah" - he wanted them to think they were being executed on Gedaliah's orders, and once they entered the city, he would strike them down there, supposedly on his command.
וַעֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים נִמְצְאוּ־בָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־יִשְׁמָעֵאל אַל־תְּמִתֵנוּ כִּי־יֶשׁ־לָנוּ מַטְמֹנִים בַּשָּׂדֶה חִטִּים וּשְׂעֹרִים וְשֶׁמֶן וּדְבָשׁ וַיֶּחְדַּל וְלֹא הֱמִיתָם בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵיהֶם׃ - "Ten men among them said to Ishmael, 'Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasures in the field: wheat, barley, oil, and honey.' So he refrained and did not kill them along with their brethren."
These ten men genuinely believed that Gedaliah had ordered their execution for going to the Beit HaMikdash, and therefore they said: Do not kill us, we have hidden stores in the field - meaning, we have the means to bribe Gedaliah with these stores in the field. Ishmael's entire intent was to cast terror upon the remaining people, so they would think: Look, Gedaliah is killing all those who mourn for Jerusalem - and consequently, everyone would rejoice over his assassination.
וְהַבּוֹר אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁלִיךְ שָׁם יִשְׁמָעֵאל אֵת כׇּל־פִּגְרֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר הִכָּה בְּיַד־גְּדַלְיָהוּ הוּא אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ אָסָא מִפְּנֵי בַּעְשָׁא מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֹתוֹ מִלֵּא יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָהוּ חֲלָלִים׃ - "Now the cistern into which Ishmael cast all the corpses of the men he had struck down by hand of Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made on account of Baasha king of Israel; Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain."
"Whom he had struck down by hand of Gedaliah" - for this is what he told them: I am striking you down as an emissary of Gedaliah; therefore it is referred to as "by hand of Gedaliah."
And our Sages expound: Since Gedaliah should have taken heed of the advice of Yochanan ben Kareiach, who warned him, "Ishmael son of Nethaniah is seeking your life," but he would not listen, Scripture accounts it to him as if he had killed them. Had you listened to him and carried out a preemptive strike and eliminated Ishmael, these eighty men would be alive, you, Gedaliah, would be alive, and all the people dwelling in Zion would have continued to dwell there. And all of this happened because you were unwilling to listen, and on top of that, you accused him of fabricating lies.
And by mentioning the cistern that Asa made on account of Baasha, Scripture comes to show what sin brings about. Regarding Baasha, it is stated that he built Ramah "so that none might go out or come in to Asa king of Judah" - that is, so that people would not go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The main pilgrimage route passed through Mitzpah, as it says, "for you have been a snare at Mitzpah." There Asa's troops were stationed to protect the pilgrims and rescue them from the raiding bands of Baasha, who opposed the pilgrimage. At that time, Asa dug a large cistern where he collected and stored water for his army, and the cistern was made to aid those journeying to the House of Hashem. Now see: the cistern that was intended to provide life to the pilgrims - Ishmael son of Nethaniah turned it into a place of death and a grave for those journeying to the House of Hashem.
וַיִּשְׁבְּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל אֶת־כׇּל־שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּמִּצְפָּה אֶת־בְּנוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־כׇּל־הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בַּמִּצְפָּה אֲשֶׁר הִפְקִיד נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם וַיִּשְׁבֵּם יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה וַיֵּלֶךְ לַעֲבֹר אֶל־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן׃ - "And Yishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mitzpah, the king's daughters, and all the people remaining in Mitzpah, whom Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard had entrusted to Gedalyahu the son of Achikam; Yishmael the son of Netanyah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites."
"The remnant of the people who were in Mitzpah" - these were those who had returned to Eretz Yisrael; "and all the people remaining" - those who had remained in the Land from the start. He took them all captive and brought them under his yoke.
וַיִּשְׁמַע יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכׇל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ אֵת כׇּל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה׃ - "And Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the army officers who were with him heard of all the evil that Yishmael the son of Netanyah had done."
וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־כׇּל־הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיֵּלְכוּ לְהִלָּחֵם עִם־יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה וַיִּמְצְאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־מַיִם רַבִּים אֲשֶׁר בְּגִבְעוֹן׃ - "And they took all the men and went to fight with Yishmael the son of Netanyah, and they found him by the great pool of water that is in Givon."
They found him by a large reservoir of water that was in Givon.
וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹת כׇּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵאל אֶת־יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְאֵת כׇּל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ וַיִּשְׂמָחוּ׃ - "And it came to pass that when all the people who were with Yishmael saw Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the army officers who were with him, they rejoiced."
וַיָּסֹבּוּ כׇּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־שָׁבָה יִשְׁמָעֵאל מִן־הַמִּצְפָּה וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ אֶל־יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ׃ - "So all the people whom Yishmael had taken captive from Mitzpah turned around and went back to Yochanan the son of Kareach."
The people whom Yishmael had taken captive saw Yochanan ben Kareach, who was one of their own, approaching, and they rejoiced: here was their savior and redeemer. They ran toward him, and in doing so enabled Yochanan to pursue Yishmael.
וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה נִמְלַט בִּשְׁמֹנָה אֲנָשִׁים מִפְּנֵי יוֹחָנָן וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן׃ - "And Yishmael the son of Netanyah escaped with eight men from before Yochanan, and went to the Ammonites."
Yishmael was left with an elite cadre of eight men, and they fled headlong back to the king of the Ammonites. The coup attempt of Yishmael ben Netanyah had failed - at least in part, for while he succeeded in assassinating Gedalyahu, he failed to seize the throne.
וַיִּקַּח יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכׇל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ אֵת כׇּל־שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם אֲשֶׁר הֵשִׁיב מֵאֵת יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה מִן־הַמִּצְפָּה אַחַר הִכָּה אֶת־גְּדַלְיָה בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם גְּבָרִים אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה וְנָשִׁים וְטַף וְסָרִסִים אֲשֶׁר הֵשִׁיב מִגִּבְעוֹן׃ - "Then Yochanan the son of Kareach and all the army officers who were with him took all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Yishmael the son of Netanyah from Mitzpah, after he had slain Gedalyah the son of Achikam - men, men of war, and women, and children, and officers, whom he had brought back from Givon."
וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּגֵרוּת כִּמְהָם אֲשֶׁר־אֵצֶל בֵּית לָחֶם לָלֶכֶת לָבוֹא מִצְרָיִם׃ - And they went and dwelt in Gerut Chimham, which is near Beit Lechem, intending to proceed into Egypt.
"Gerut Chimham" - the place that David gave to Chimham. This Chimham was the son of Barzillai the Gileadite. When David sought to reward Barzillai the Gileadite for coming to his aid during his flight from his son Avshalom, Barzillai said to him: I have grown old and gray, I can no longer hear the voice of singing men and singing women, nor taste what I eat - old age had suddenly overtaken him, as Chazal explain. He said to him: I will not enjoy anything you provide for me; here is my son Chimham, if you wish to do good, do good to him. And that was indeed what happened, and David agreed. The place where Chimham lived was called "Gerut Chimham," and it was there that Yochanan settled the people, near Beit Lechem, at a location from which it would be easy to flee to Egypt.
מִפְּנֵי הַכַּשְׂדִּים כִּי יָרְאוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי־הִכָּה יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם אֲשֶׁר־הִפְקִיד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בָּאָרֶץ׃ - Because of the Chaldeans, for they feared them, because Yishmael son of Netanyah had struck down Gedalyahu son of Achikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Why flee to Egypt? Because the sword of the Chaldeans was hovering over their heads. Once the Chaldeans discovered that the governor appointed on Nebuchadnezzar's behalf had been murdered, they would march here with a massive force, and the people would face severe retribution. Therefore they said: go and stay there near Beit Lechem, so that if trouble arises, you can quickly make your way into Egypt.
Chapter 41 reveals the roots of the assassination: Yishmael's craving for authority as one "of the royal seed," the royal officers' jealousy of Gedalyahu's prominence, and their hatred of the king of Babylon who appointed him over the land - all carried out on a mission from Baalis, king of Ammon. Yishmael kills Gedalyahu and the warriors with him, conceals the deed to construct a cover story, and slaughters eighty mourners of Jerusalem under the pretext of "a mission from Gedalyahu" to justify his actions. The pit that Asa dug to revive travelers became a grave for those going up to the House of Hashem. Chazal teach that Gedalyahu's failure to heed the warning of Yochanan ben Kareach is considered as if he himself had killed them - illustrating how great is a leader's responsibility to listen. Ultimately, the coup collapses, Yishmael flees with eight men to Ammon, and the remnant of the people, out of dread of Chaldean vengeance, settles in Gerut Chimham near Beit Lechem - the first step on the road to Egypt.