2 Kings 25:25-26·~1 min
The Murder of Gedaliah
Ishmael, of royal descent, kills Gedaliah at Mizpah along with those with him. In fear of Babylon’s response, the people and commanders flee to Egypt.
I25n the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Section summaryThat fragile peace lasts only briefly. Gedaliah is murdered, and the people flee to Egypt in fear, as even the small remnant left in Judah breaks apart.
Role in the chapterThis section shows the failure of the last local order left after Jerusalem’s fall. It pushes the chapter’s ruin one step further by emptying even the remnant settlement of stability.