Lives of Scripture

After Jerusalem's fall in 586 BC, Babylon appointed Gedaliah governor over the Judeans left in the land, with Johanan son of Kareah among the army commanders who submitted to him at Mizpah (2 Kings 25:22-23). When Johanan learned that Ishmael, a member of the royal family, was plotting to assassinate Gedaliah at the instigation of the king of Ammon, he warned Gedaliah directly and even offered to kill Ishmael secretly first -- Gedaliah refused to believe it and forbade the plan (Jeremiah 40:13-16). Ishmael assassinated Gedaliah as warned, along with Judeans and Babylonian soldiers stationed there, then marched off with captives (41:1-10). Johanan pursued, intercepted Ishmael's group, and rescued the captives, though Ishmael himself escaped to Ammon (41:11-15). Fearing Babylonian reprisal for Gedaliah's murder, Johanan and the remaining leaders asked Jeremiah to seek the LORD's guidance, vowing in advance to obey whatever answer came (42:1-6). Jeremiah's answer, after ten days, was unambiguous: stay in the land, do not fear the king of Babylon, and God would build them up; going to Egypt for safety would instead bring the very sword and famine they feared (42:7-22). Johanan and the other leaders accused Jeremiah of lying and led the remnant of Judah down into Egypt anyway, forcibly taking Jeremiah and Baruch with them (43:1-7) -- a final act of unbelief that closes out the story of Judah's remnant in the historical books, disobedience compounding the very judgment it feared.