The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Voice” it comes from the Hebrew Word “qol” which means “voice.”
Jeremiah is freed and chooses to remain in the devastated land among the poor remnant. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Jeremiah 40.
Jeremiah records how the word came to him from the Lord, after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, taking him bound in chains among the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon, the captain of the guard taking Jeremiah, and telling him that the Lord his God has pronounced this evil upon this place, and now the Lord has brought it, and done according as He has said, because they have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed His “voice,” “qol” in Hebrew. Jeremiah is offered a choice, to come with him to Babylon, and he will look well to him, or to refrain, since all the land is before him, wherever it seems good and convenient for him to go, there he may go, or he may return to Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, dwelling with him among the people, or go wherever it seems convenient to him, Jeremiah choosing not to return to Babylon, but to go to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, dwelling with him among the people who are left in the land. Jeremiah describes how when all the captains of the forces in the fields heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to him at Mizpah, and Gedaliah swears to them and their men, urging them not to fear serving the Chaldeans, but to dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with them, describing how the Jews who were scattered in various lands returned to the land of Judah when they heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant, gathering wine and summer fruits very much, but Johanan warns Gedaliah of a plot against his life by Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, though Gedaliah does not believe him, closing this chapter with genuine, cautious hope for a small remnant community beginning to rebuild amid the ruins.
Jeremiah’s deliberate choice to remain among the poor, devastated remnant in Judah rather than accept honored treatment in Babylon reveals genuine solidarity with his suffering people rather than seeking his own comfort or advancement. Gedaliah’s tragic dismissal of Johanan’s warning about an assassination plot foreshadows further coming tragedy, showing how even well-intentioned leaders can fatally underestimate genuine, credible danger.
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