Ishmael

AI summary: Ishmael matters because the cross references show how Judah's collapse is followed not by quiet submission but by further bloodshed within the remnant. He appears as a man of royal lineage who murders Gedaliah, kills others with him, and carries captives away before being pursued. His act destroys one of the last fragile arrangements for stability in the land. Taken together, the material presents this Ishmael as a figure of post-catastrophe treachery whose violence worsens the suffering of an already broken people.¹

The son of Nethaniah, “of the seed royal” (Jer. 40:8, 15). He plotted against Gedaliah, and treacherously put him and others to death. He carried off many captives, “and departed to go over to the Ammonites.” ³