Jeremiah 40:16

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14 and said to him,¹ “Do you certainly know that ^aBaalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the ^aremnant in Judah perish?”

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.”

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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Jeremiah 41:1 >>

Jeremiah 40:16

Thou shalt not do this thing - He cannot be so base.

Thou speakest falsely of Ishmael - He thought it quite possible that the man who was capable of becoming an assassin was capable of telling a lie; and therefore he would not credit what he said. Had he been a little more distrustful, he would have saved his own life. The next chapter shows that Johanan' s information was too true. So noble Gedaliah lost his life by not believing that evil of others of which he himself was incapable.

**Other Adam Clarke entries containing Jeremiah 40:16:**

2 Kings 25:25

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Jeremiah 41:1 >>

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