Jeremiah 41:9

9 But he had thrown all of the bodies of the men he had killed into the empty well. That included Gedaliah's body. The well was the one King Asa had made. He had made it when he strengthened Mizpah against attack by Baasha, the king of Israel. Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, filled it with the bodies of those he had killed.

Jeremiah 41:9 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 41:9

Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies
Not only of those seventy men of Samaria but of the men whom he had slain because of Gedaliah;
because of their attachment to him: or, "by the hand of Gedaliah" ^F11; 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 him ^F12; rather the sense is, that they were slain by the side of him, or in the, place where he was, or along with him ^F13; see a like phrase in ( 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, ( 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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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (whyldg dyb) "in manu Gedaliae", Montanus, Vatablus.
F12 So T. Bab. Nidda, fol. 61. 1.
F13 "Ad latus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "in loco", some in Munster; "cum Gedalia", De Dieu, Gataker.

Jeremiah 41:9 In-Context

7 They went with him into the city. Then Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and the men who were with him killed them. And they threw them into an empty well.

8 But ten of the men had spoken to Ishmael. They had said, "Don't kill us! We have some wheat and barley. We also have olive oil and honey. We've hidden all of it in a field." So he let them alone. He didn't kill them along with the others.

9 But he had thrown all of the bodies of the men he had killed into the empty well. That included Gedaliah's body. The well was the one King Asa had made. He had made it when he strengthened Mizpah against attack by Baasha, the king of Israel. Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, filled it with the bodies of those he had killed.

10 Ishmael made prisoners of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah. That included women who were members of the royal court. It also included all of the others who were left there. Nebuzaradan had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, over them. Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, took them as prisoners. Then he started out to go across the Jordan River to the land of Ammon. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the royal guard.

11 Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all of the other army officers who were with him were told what had happened. They heard about all of the crimes Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, had committed.