And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
When all the military commanders and their soldiers heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to meet with Gedaliah at Mizpah. These commanders included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Careah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah son of a man from Maacah, along with all their men.
The writer is describing how the remaining Jewish military leaders came together to meet with the new governor appointed by Babylon after Jerusalem's fall.
📚 Historical Context
This verse occurs after the Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC, taking most of the population into exile. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, a Jewish official, to govern the few people left in the land. These military commanders represented the scattered remnants of Judah's forces who had been hiding or fighting guerrilla warfare.
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