Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.

JEREMIAH 41:10KJV
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Jeremiah 41:10 (KJV)

What does Jeremiah 41:10 mean?

Jeremiah 41:10 describes how Ishmael took captive all the remaining people in Mizpah, including the king’s daughters and others whom Nebuzaradan had entrusted to Gedaliah, and then set out to bring them to the Ammonites. This verse shows Ishmael’s betrayal and the forced removal of survivors after the Babylonian conquest.

The situation takes place after Jerusalem’s fall, with Babylonian-appointed governor Gedaliah recently murdered by Ishmael. Ishmael, acting against Babylonian authority, seizes the remaining people—likely including royal family members and officials—and heads toward Ammonite territory, possibly seeking refuge or support. The verse highlights the chaos and shifting loyalties in Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem.

The Hebrew behind Jeremiah 41:10

  • The word "captive" (שָׁבָה, shavah) means to take prisoners or carry away by force. Its use here emphasizes the involuntary nature of the people’s removal by Ishmael.
  • "Residue" (שְׁאֵרִית, she’erit) refers to those left behind—the survivors who had not been killed or exiled earlier. This highlights how even the last remnant of Judah’s people faced further hardship.
  • "Committed" (פָּקַד, paqad) means to entrust or appoint. Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian captain, had specifically put these people under Gedaliah’s care, showing that Ishmael’s act was a direct violation of Babylonian arrangements.

Why Jeremiah 41:10 matters

  • Jeremiah 41:10 clarifies that the violence and instability in Judah continued even after the Babylonians had conquered the land and set up a new administration.
  • The verse shows that Ishmael’s actions were not just a personal betrayal but also a political move that disrupted Babylonian control and endangered the remaining community.
  • By mentioning the king’s daughters and the survivors, the verse connects the fate of the royal family and the people of Judah, underlining the total upheaval experienced by the nation.

Where else these words appear

“Nebuzaradan” Hebrew H5018 · used in 15 verses

  • 2 Kings 25:8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
  • Jeremiah 39:10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
  • Jeremiah 52:12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,

“Ahikam” Hebrew H296 · used in 20 verses

  • 2 Kings 22:12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,
  • Jeremiah 40:5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.
  • Jeremiah 40:16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

“Nethaniah” Hebrew H5418 · used in 20 verses

  • 2 Kings 25:23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
  • Jeremiah 40:8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even 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.
  • Jeremiah 41:7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.

“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.