John Gill's Exposition on Jeremiah 41:9

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies, etc.] Not only of those seventy men of Samaria, etc. but of the men whom he had slain because of Gedaliah; because of their attachment to him: or, “by the hand of Gedaliah”f755; not by him, as an instrument; unless, as Jarchi observes, because he rejected the advice of Johanan, and provided not for his safety, and his people, it was as if they were slain by himf756; rather the sense is, that they were slain by the side of him, or in the, place where he was, or along with himf757; see a like phrase in (<243810>Jeremiah 38:10); now both the one and the other were cast into one pit: and this [was] that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel; which was either a ditch that was cast up against the wall that went round the city; or a large pit or well in the midst of it, to hold water in it; and this was made by King Asa, either when he built and fortified Mizpah, (<111522>1 Kings 15:22); or, as the Targum here, when Baasha king of Israel besieged it; which he made that he might be provided for with water during the siege; or to hide himself in it; or stop the enemy from proceeding any further, should he enter: [and] Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with [them that were] slain; which shows it rather to be a pit or well within the city than a ditch about it; since it was filled with the slain, with those that were slain with Gedaliah, and those seventy other persons; and by which he made the well useless to the inhabitants hereafter.

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