Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.
They were terrified of the Babylonians because Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah, the guy the Babylonian king had put in charge of their land. Now they knew there would be serious consequences.
When someone murders the leader your enemies appointed, you know revenge is coming.
📚 Historical Context
In the aftermath of Jerusalem's fall to the Babylonians in 586 BC, Gedaliah was appointed as governor by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar to oversee the remaining population in Judah and maintain order. However, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, likely motivated by loyalty to the deposed Judean royalty, assassinated Gedaliah, which sparked fear of Babylonian retaliation among the survivors. This event led to a mass flight as the people sought refuge to avoid the consequences of this act of rebellion.
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