Ishmael

Family: Judah · Role: captain · First appears: Jeremiah 40

Ishmael is a captain of Judah and the son of Nethaniah. In Jeremiah 40 at Mizpah, Baalis sent him to slay Gedaliah, but when Johanan offered to kill him, Gedaliah rejected the proposal: “Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it.” In Jeremiah 41, Ishmael and ten men slew Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the king of Babylon, along with the Jews, Chaldeans, and men of war who were with him.

Two days later, Ishmael deceived and slew pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, then carried the remaining people of Mizpah and the king’s daughters captive toward the Ammonites. At Gibeon, Johanan and his captains fought him; the captives abandoned Ishmael and returned to Johanan, while Ishmael escaped with eight men to the Ammonites.

Relationship record

Life events

• Gedaliah learned that Baalis had sent Ishmael to assassinate him.(Jeremiah 40 · 📍 Mizpah)
  • With: Gedaliah Baalis
  • “Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?”
• Johanan offered to kill Ishmael, but Gedaliah rejected the proposal.(Jeremiah 40 · 📍 Mizpah)
  • With: Johanan Gedaliah
  • “Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish? 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.”
• Ishmael slew Gedaliah, the governor appointed over the land by Babylon’s king.(Jeremiah 41 · 📍 Mizpah)
  • With: Gedaliah
  • “Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.”
• Ishmael slew the Jews, Chaldeans, and men of war who were with Gedaliah.(Jeremiah 41 · 📍 Mizpah)
  • “Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.”
• Ishmael deceived and slew pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria.(Jeremiah 41 · 📍 Mizpah)
  • “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.”
• Ishmael carried away the remaining people and the king’s daughters captive toward the Ammonites.(Jeremiah 41 · 📍 Mizpah)
  • “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.”
• Johanan and his captains fought Ishmael and found him by Gibeon’s great waters.(Jeremiah 41 · 📍 Gibeon)
  • With: Johanan
  • “Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.”
• The people captured by Ishmael abandoned him and returned to Johanan.(Jeremiah 41)
  • With: Johanan
  • “So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.”
• Ishmael escaped from Johanan with eight men and fled to the Ammonites.(Jeremiah 41 · 📍 the Ammonites)
  • With: Johanan
  • “But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.”

Jeremiah 40

• parent: Nethaniah “Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?”
• sender: Baalis “Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?”
• with Gedaliah (Ishmael is sent to slay Gedaliah.) “Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?”
• with Johanan (interaction) “Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it”
• enemies with Gedaliah “Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?”
• enemies with Johanan “Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it; wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?”

Jeremiah 41

• slain: Gedaliah “Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him”

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Extracted from the original text of The Prophets. Made with Rho MD.