v1-3: Ishmael, as predicted, got close to Gedaliah by deceit, before killing him. Ishmael killed the governor placed by the king of Babylon, and he killed those Babylonian soldiers with Gedaliah; this would doubtless encourage wrath from Babylon. Ishmael is said to be of royal blood; perhaps related to Zedekiah the last king of Judah. Some suggest that his plan was to remove Gedaliah, whom he assumed to be a usurper.

v4-5: Men from Shiloh and Shechem and Samaria, who had come to worship God. They were religious, but followed the mixed Samaritan religion.

v6-7: These men was also deceived and slaughtered.

v8: Ishmael preserved ten men alive, apparently out of greed. There seems to have been little compassion in him.

v9: The cistern had been made by King Asa centuries before. This little detail is an indication of the truth of the record.

v10: Ishmael’s home was with the Ammonites, see 40.14. Like Satan himself, Ishmael enjoyed a measure of success against God’s people.

v11-15: Johanan’s attack, to rescue those captives taken by Ishmael. Ishmael himself managed to escape to the Ammonites.

v16-18: Johanan stayed near Bethlehem. He was fearful of the Babylonians, who were presumably in Jerusalem. They would perhaps have accused him of killing Gedaliah. His fear was such that he then went to Egypt.

Although Jeremiah is not mentioned here, he knew Gedaliah (39.16; 40.6), his grandfather Shaphan (26.24).

The only certain thing that the people had was their uncertainty.