Jeremiah 40:9-12
40:9 Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. 1 “Do not be afraid to submit to the Babylonians. 2 Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.
40:10 I for my part will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians 3 whenever they come to us. You for your part go ahead and harvest the wine, the dates, the figs, 4 and the olive oil, and store them in jars. Go ahead and settle down in the towns that you have taken over.” 5
40:11 Moreover, all the Judeans who were in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and all the other countries heard what had happened. They heard that the king of Babylon had allowed some people to stay in Judah and that he had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to govern them.
40:12 So all these Judeans returned to the land of Judah from the places where they had been scattered. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Thus they harvested a large amount of wine and dates and figs. 6
1 tn The words “so as to give them some assurance of safety” are not in the text but are generally understood by all commentators. This would be a case of substitution of cause for effect, the oath, put for the effect, the assurance of safety (NJPS translates directly “reassured them”).
2 tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
3 tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
4 tn Heb “summer fruit.” “Summer fruit” is meaningless to most modern readers; dates and figs are what is involved.
5 tn This plus “Things will go well with you” is in essence the substance of the oath. The pronouns are emphatic, “And I, behold I will stay…and you, you may gather.” The imperatives in the second half of the verse are more a form of permission than of command or advice (cf. NJPS, REB, TEV and compare the usage in 40:4 and the references in the translator’s note there).
6 tn Heb “summer fruit.” “Summer fruit” is meaningless to most modern readers; dates and figs are what is involved.