Ishmael
יִשְׁמָעֵאל · yish.ma.el · H3458H“God that hears” Hitchcock's 186921 mentions in 2 books, most in Jeremiah (19)
Who he was
Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, was a member of the royal family of Judah (2 Kings 25:25). After the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and appointed Gedaliah as governor over the remnant, Ishmael and other army officers came to Gedaliah at Mizpah (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8).
Despite being warned of Ishmael's treacherous intentions (Jeremiah 40:13–16), Gedaliah welcomed him. However, Ishmael, acting under the orders of Baalis, king of the Ammonites, assassinated Gedaliah and his men (2 Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 41:1–3).
Ishmael then led captives, including the king's daughters, from Mizpah toward Ammon (Jeremiah 41:10). When Johanan and the other leaders heard of Ishmael's actions, they pursued him. Ishmael's captives were rescued, but he escaped to the Ammonites with eight men (Jeremiah 41:11–15).
Ishmael's treachery further devastated the remnant of Judah after the Babylonian conquest. His actions led the survivors to flee to Egypt out of fear of Babylonian reprisals (Jeremiah 41:16–18), directly disobeying God's command through Jeremiah (Jer.42-43).
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Family
FatherNethaniah
Family relations: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
21 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
2 Kings2 mentions
2 Kings 25:23Now 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…2 Kings 25:25But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah so that he died, with the Jews and the…
Jeremiah19 mentions
Jeremiah 40:8then 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 the…Jeremiah 40:14and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam didn’t believe them.Jeremiah 40:15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, “Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man will know it. Why should he take…Jeremiah 40:16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely of Ishmael.”Jeremiah 41:1Now in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring and one of the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the…Jeremiah 41:2Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah arose, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword and killed him, whom the king of Babylon…Jeremiah 41:3Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldean men of war who were found there.Jeremiah 41:6Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went, and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.”Jeremiah 41:7It was so, when they came into the middle of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them, and cast them into the middle of the pit, he, and the men who were with him.Jeremiah 41:8But ten men were found among those who said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey.” So he stopped, and…Jeremiah 41:9Now the pit in which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had killed, by the side of Gedaliah (this was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel)…Jeremiah 41:10Then Ishmael carried away captive all of the people who were left in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard…Jeremiah 41:11But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,Jeremiah 41:12then 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.Jeremiah 41:13Now when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.Jeremiah 41:14So all the people who Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.Jeremiah 41:15But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.Jeremiah 41:16Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces who were with him took all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah…Jeremiah 41:18because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land.
What the dictionary says
God hears.
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain