As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.

JEREMIAH 40:10KJV
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Jeremiah 40:10 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 40:10 mean?

Jeremiah 40:10 describes Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonians, telling the remaining people in Judah that he will stay at Mizpah to represent them before the Chaldeans (Babylonians), while they should gather the harvest and settle in the towns they now occupy. Gedaliah is reassuring the people to continue their normal lives and take care of their resources under the new political situation.

Gedaliah is speaking to the people left in Judah after much of the population was taken into exile. The Babylonians have put him in charge, and he is explaining his role as an intermediary ("to serve the Chaldeans") and encouraging the people to gather wine, summer fruits, and oil—basic agricultural products—for their own use. This verse shows a moment of transition, where the survivors are being told to resume daily life and make the best of the changed circumstances.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 40:10

  • "dwell" (יָשַׁב, yashav): This word means to settle or remain in a place. Gedaliah is not just passing through Mizpah; he is establishing himself there as a leader.
  • "serve" (עָמַד, amad, and פָּנִים, panim): The phrase "to serve the Chaldeans" uses a word that often means "to stand before" or "to represent." Gedaliah is acting as a go-between for the people and the Babylonians, not as a servant in the usual sense.
  • "gather" (אָסַף, asaf): This word means to collect or bring in, especially at harvest. Gedaliah is telling the people to actively reclaim and secure their food supplies.
  • "cities" (עִיר, ir): The word refers to towns or settlements. Gedaliah is encouraging people to live in the places they have "taken," meaning those now available after the exile.

Why Jeremiah 40:10 matters

  • This verse clarifies that life in Judah did not completely stop after the Babylonian conquest; some people remained and were encouraged to rebuild and maintain their communities.
  • It shows Gedaliah’s role as a stabilizer, working with the new rulers but also caring for the welfare of his people.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage by showing a moment of hope and practical instruction after a period of upheaval, emphasizing survival and adaptation rather than resistance or despair.

Where else these words appear

“fruits” Hebrew H7019 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
  • Proverbs 10:5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
  • Jeremiah 40:12 Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.

“Mizpah” Hebrew H4709 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
  • 1 Samuel 7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
  • Nehemiah 3:15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

“taken” Hebrew H8610 · used in 60 verses

  • Genesis 4:21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
  • 2 Kings 14:13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
  • Jeremiah 50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

“Chaldeans” Hebrew H3778 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
  • Jeremiah 32:4 And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
  • Jeremiah 50:1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.