Jeremiah 41:17

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹¹When Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him heard of all the crimes that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, ¹²they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. And they found him near the great pool in Gibeon. ¹³When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the army with him, they rejoiced, ¹⁴and all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. ¹⁵But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went to the Ammonites. ¹⁶Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him took the whole remnant of the people from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children, and court officials he had brought back from Gibeon. ¹⁷And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, near Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt¹⁸to escape the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of the Chaldeans because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Chimham: 2 Samuel 19:37, 2 Samuel 19:38

to go: As Johanan and the other princes had taken a decided part against Ishmael, they had no sufficient reason to fear that the Chaldeans would revenge on them the murder of Gedaliah; but perhaps Johanan was unwilling to be superseded in the command which he had rightly assumed, and so used his influence to induce the whole company to take refuge in Egypt; and their old attachment to the Egyptians rendered them more ready to concur in this ruinous measure. Jeremiah 42:14, Jeremiah 42:19, Jeremiah 43:7, Isaiah 30:2, Isaiah 30:3

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they departed,.... From Mizpah, Johanan, and the captains of the forces, and all the people rescued from Ishmael:

and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem: so called perhaps from Chimham, the son of Barzillai the Gileadite, to whom David or Solomon might give this place to dwell in, 2 Samuel 19:37 1 Kings 2:7. The Targum is express for the former, calling it

"the habitation which David gave to Chimham, the son of Barzillai the Gileadite;''

and as it was near Bethlehem, it might be a part of the patrimony which belonged to David, as a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite; which he might give to Chimham, out of respect to his father Barzillai, who showed kindness to him when he was obliged to flee from Absalom; which, though it returned to David's family in the year of jubilee, as all inheritances did, yet might continue to be called after the name of Chimham, in commemoration of the royal grant of it to him. Josephus r calls the name of the place Mandra. The reason why Johanan and those with him pitched on this place was, because it lay in the way

to go to enter into Egypt; where they had an inclination to go; having still a friendly regard to that people, and a confidence in them, as appears by some following chapters; and that they might be ready and at hand to flee thither, should the Chaldeans come against them, which they feared.

r Antiqu. l. 10. c. 9. sect. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The habitation of Chimham - The Hebrew text has Geruth-Chemoham, of which place nothing is known. The Masoretes read: Geruth-Chimham, the Khan or Caravanserai of Chimham, son of the rich Barzillai (marginal reference). The substitution is incapable now of proof or disproof, but it is possibly right.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 41:17. Dwelt in the habitation of Chimham — The estate that David gave Chimham, the son of Barzillai. See 2 Samuel 19:37, c. He took this merely as a resting-place as he designed to carry all into Egypt, fearing the Chaldeans, who would endeavour to revenge the death of Gedaliah.