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2 Kings 25:23

in 2 Kings 25

When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

KJV

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.

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This verse in 2 Kings 25

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
The captains of the armies - i. e., the officers of the troops who had fled from Jerusalem with Zedekiah 2Ki 25:4, and had then dispersed and gone into hiding 2Ki 25:5. For Mizpah, see Jos 18:26 note. The Netophathite - Netophah, the city of Ephai (compare Jer 40:8), appears to have been in the neighborhood of Bethlehem Neh 7:26; Ezr 2:21-22. The name is perhaps continued in the modern Antubeh, about 2 12 miles S. S. E. of Jerusalem. A Maachathite - Maachah lay in the stony country east of the upper Jordan, bordering upon Bashan Deu 3:14.

This site's exposition

appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam

on 2 Kings 25:22-24

Gedaliah's father Ahikam had kept Jeremiah from being put to death at Jeremiah 26:24. His grandfather Shaphan was the scribe who read the found book of the law to Josiah. His counsel matches Jeremiah's at Jeremiah 27 and 29, to submit to Babylon and seek the peace of the city.

This site's exposition

they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

Albert Barnes identifies these commanders as officers who fled the city with Zedekiah and went into hiding when his army scattered. In Barnes's placing, Netophah lay near Bethlehem and Maacah east of the upper Jordan beside Bashan. Mizpah was a town of Benjamin.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Gedaliah was Jeremiah's friend (Jer 26:24), and having, by the prophet's counsel, probably fled from the city as abandoned of God, he surrendered himself to the conqueror (Jer 38:2, 17), and being promoted to the government of Judea, fixed his provincial court at Mizpeh. He was well qualified to surmount the difficulties of ruling at such a crisis.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

To Mizpah - This is said to have been situated on the east side of the river Jordan, and most contiguous to Babylon, and therefore the most proper for the residence of Gedaliah, because nearest to the place from which he was to receive his instructions. But there were several places of this name, and we do not exactly know where this was situated.

The words behind it

31 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ֩and they heard

    vaiyishmeuH8085 →1159 times

  • כָל־all

    khol-H3605 →5413 times

  • שָׂרֵ֨י[the] commanders of

    sareiH8269 →421 times

  • הַחֲיָלִ֜יםthe armies

    hachayalimH2428 →246 times

  • הֵ֣מָּהthey

    hemahH1992 →553 times

  • וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֗יםand the men

    vehaanashimH582 →566 times

  • כִּֽי־that

    ki-H3588 →4482 times

  • הִפְקִ֤ידhe had appointed

    hifkidH6485 →303 times

  • מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of

    melekh-H4428 →2525 times

  • בָּבֶל֙Babylon

    bavelH894 →262 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • גְּדַלְיָ֔הוּGedaliah

    gedalyahuH1436 →32 times

  • וַיָּבֹ֥אוּand they came

    vaiyavouH935 →2568 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • גְּדַלְיָ֖הוּGedaliah

    gedalyahuH1436 →32 times

  • הַמִּצְפָּ֑ה<the> Mizpah

    hamitzpahH4709 →

  • וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֣אלand Ishmael

    veyishmaelH3458 →

  • בֶּן־[the] son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • נְתַנְיָ֡הNethaniah

    netanyahH5418 →

  • וְיוֹחָנָ֣ןand Johanan

    veyochananH3110 →

  • בֶּן־[the] son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • קָ֠רֵחַKareah

    kareachH7143 →

  • וּשְׂרָיָ֨הand Seraiah

    userayahH8304 →

  • בֶן־[the] son of

    ven-H1121 →4930 times

  • תַּנְחֻ֜מֶתTanhumeth

    tanchumetH8576 →

  • הַנְּטֹפָתִ֗יthe Netophathite

    hanetofatiH5200 →

  • וְיַֽאֲזַנְיָ֙הוּ֙and Jaazaniah

    veyaazanyahuH2970 →

  • בֶּן־[the] son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • הַמַּ֣עֲכָתִ֔יthe Maacathite

    hamaakhatiH4602 →

  • הֵ֖מָּהthey

    hemahH1992 →553 times

  • וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶֽם׃and men their

    veansheihemH582 →566 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

12 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Jeremiah 40:7–9When all the commanders and men of the armies in the field heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children who were the poorest of the land and had not been exiled to Babylon,4 works2 Samuel 23:28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,3 worksJeremiah 40:11–12When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and all the other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them,2 worksJoshua 18:26Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,2 worksEzekiel 11:1Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.2 worksJudges 20:1Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.2 works
The other 6 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jeremiah 36:14Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come here.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them.2 worksJeremiah 40:8they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.2 worksJeremiah 42:1Then all the commanders of the forces, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached2 worksJoshua 12:5He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan up to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.2 works1 Samuel 7:5Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”2 worksZechariah 7:5“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?2 works

The walk

3 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Joshua 18:26

    Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

    it leads to

    • Judges 10:17

      Then the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, and the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.

    • Ezra 2:25

      the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;

    • Joshua 9:17

      So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

Where this verse is studied

What the record shows

1 entry
  • Jaazaniah — attested in contemporary inscriptionwell-supported

    Agate seal 'belonging to Jaazaniah servant of the king', Tell en-Nasbeh (Mizpah)

    Biblical figure (Officer, associate of Gedaliah, early 6th c. BC) identified in extra-biblical epigraphy.

    Counterpoint: Only two things tie this seal to the Bible: a fairly common Hebrew name and the findspot at Tell en-Nasbeh, usually identified as Mizpah. "Servant of the king" was a widely used court title rather than the military role 2 Kings 25:23 gives Jaazaniah, so the identification is plausible but cannot be demonstrated.

About 2 Kings

Zedekiah's Sons Are Slaughtered before His Eyes — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Zedekiah's Sons Are Slaughtered before His Eyes — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
2 Kings: the study guide →Read 2 Kings 25 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Kings 25 →