2 Kings 25:24

2 Kings 25:24 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.
• New International Version (NIV)Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

Context of 2 Kings 25:24

22Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan as governor over the people he had left in Judah. 23When all the army commanders and their men learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they went to see him at Mizpah. These included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, and all their men. Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonian officials meant them no harm. “Don’t be afraid of them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you,” he promised. 25But in midautumn of that year, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men and killed Gedaliah. He also killed all the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. 26Then all the people of Judah, from the least to the greatest, as well as the army commanders, fled in panic to Egypt, for they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do to them.

2 Kings 25:24 word by word

וַיִּשָּׁבַ֨ע לָהֶ֤ם גְּדַלְיָ֙הוּ֙ וּלְאַנְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם אַל־תִּֽירְא֖וּ מֵעַבְדֵ֣י הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑ים שְׁב֣וּ בָאָ֗רֶץ וְעִבְד֛וּ אֶת־מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל וְיִטַ֥ב לָכֶֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Gedaliahגְּדַלְיָ֫הוּgedalyâh gedalyâhû · GedaliahH1436
• swareשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
• to them, and to their menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto them, Fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
• not to be the servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• of the Chaldeesכַּשְׂדִּיםkaώdîy kaώdîymâh · ChaldeaH3778
• dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
• and it shall be wellיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190

Cross-references for 2 Kings 25:24

• 2 Samuel 14:11Then she said, “Please swear to me by the Lord your God that you won’t let anyone take vengeance against my son. I want no more bloodshed.” “As surely as the Lord lives,” he replied, “not a hair on your son’s head will be disturbed!”
• 2 Samuel 19:23Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, “Your life will be spared.”
• Jeremiah 40:9Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonians meant them no harm. “Don’t be afraid to serve them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you,” he promised.
• Ezekiel 33:24“Son of man, the scattered remnants of Israel living among the ruined cities keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he gained possession of the entire land. We are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’
• Jeremiah 43:6In the crowd were men, women, and children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah. The prophet Jeremiah and Baruch were also included.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 25:24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Gedaliah sware to them - He pledged himself in the most solemn manner to encourage and protect them.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24As rebels against the Babylonian king, their lives were forfeit. Gedaliah pledged himself to them by oath, that, if they gave no further cause of complaint, their past offences should be forgiven.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-30Verses 22-30 The king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah to be the governor and protector of the Jews left their land. But the things of their peace were so hidden from their eyes, that they knew not when they were well off. Ishmael basely slew him and all his friends, and, against the counsel of Jeremiah, the rest went to Egypt. Thus was a full end made of them by their own folly and disobedience; see Jeremiah chap. 40 to 45 Jehoiachin was released out of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-24Gedaliah's family had experience in civic matters, so people initially accepted his role as governor (see also Jeremiah 40:1–12). A seal impression found at Lachish shows Gedaliah's importance as the officer "over the house" (see study note on 1 Kings 4:6). The prophet Jeremiah, along with army commanders, went to Mizpah to support Gedaliah (Jeremiah 40:6). This Mizpah was a border town in Benjamin and was known in Israelite history as a place for…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2622-26. Nebuchadnezzar ... made Gedaliah ... ruler--The people permitted to remain were, besides the king's daughters, a few court attendants and others (Jr 40:7) too insignificant to be removed, only the peasantry who could till the land and dress the vineyards. Gedaliah was Jeremiah's friend (Jr 26:24), and having, by the prophet's counsel, probably fled from the city as abandoned of God, he surrendered himself to the conqueror (Jr 38:2, 17), and being…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 25:24

• Gedaliah
• Ishmael
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Johanan

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Chaldees
• Fast
• Jerusalem
• Kings, The Books of
• Rate
• Zedekiah
• Alliance
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Feasts and Fasts

Commentaries on 2 Kings 25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings