The Meaning of Jeremiah 41:9 Explained

Jeremiah 41:9

KJV: Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.

YLT: And the pit whither Ishmael hath cast all the carcases of the men whom he hath smitten along with Gedaliah, is that which the king Asa made because of Baasha king of Israel -- it hath Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled with the pierced.

Darby: And the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain by the side of Gedaliah was the one which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.

ASV: Now the pit wherein Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, by the side of Gedaliah (the same was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel,) Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now the pit  wherein Ishmael  had cast  all the dead bodies  of the men,  whom he had slain  because  of Gedaliah,  [was] it which Asa  the king  had made  for fear  of Baasha  king  of Israel:  [and] Ishmael  the son  of Nethaniah  filled  it with [them that were] slain. 

What does Jeremiah 41:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The cistern that Ishmael filled with dead bodies was one that King Asa of Judah had constructed while battling against King Baasha of Israel (cf. 1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles 16:6). Good King Asa had built the cistern to preserve life, but wicked Ishmael now polluted it by filling it with corpses. To give these pilgrims such a burial showed no respect for them.

Chapter Summary: Jeremiah 41

1  Ishmael, treacherously killing Gedaliah and others,
7  purposes with the residue to flee unto the Ammonites
11  Johanan rescues the captives, and is minded to flee into Egypt

What do the individual words in Jeremiah 41:9 mean?

Now the pit into which had cast there Ishmael - all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain because of Gedaliah [was] he had made the king Asa for fear of Baasha king of Israel it filled Ishmael son of Nethaniah with the slain
וְהַבּ֗וֹר אֲשֶׁר֩ הִשְׁלִ֨יךְ שָׁ֤ם יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ אֵ֣ת ׀ כָּל־ פִּגְרֵ֣י הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִכָּה֙ בְּיַד־ גְּדַלְיָ֔הוּ ה֗וּא עָשָׂה֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אָסָ֔א מִפְּנֵ֖י בַּעְשָׁ֣א מֶֽלֶךְ־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֹת֗וֹ מִלֵּ֛א יִשְׁמָעֵ֥אל בֶּן־ נְתַנְיָ֖הוּ חֲלָלִֽים

וְהַבּ֗וֹר  Now  the  pit 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּור 
Sense: pit, well, cistern.
אֲשֶׁר֩  into  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִשְׁלִ֨יךְ  had  cast 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַךְ  
Sense: to throw, cast, hurl, fling.
יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙  Ishmael 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׁמָעֵאל  
Sense: son of Abraham and Sarah’s handmaid Hagar and the progenitor of the Arabian peoples.
אֵ֣ת ׀  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פִּגְרֵ֣י  the  dead  bodies 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: פֶּגֶר  
Sense: corpse, carcass, monument, stela.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים  of  the  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אֲשֶׁ֤ר  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הִכָּה֙  he  had  slain 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
בְּיַד־  because 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
גְּדַלְיָ֔הוּ  of  Gedaliah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גְּדַלְיָה 
Sense: a son of Jeduthun in the time of David.
ה֗וּא  [was]  he 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
עָשָׂה֙  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אָסָ֔א  Asa 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָסָא  
Sense: king of Judah, son of Abijam, father of Jehoshaphat.
מִפְּנֵ֖י  for  fear 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בַּעְשָׁ֣א  of  Baasha 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעְשָׁא  
Sense: third king of the northern kingdom of Israel and the founder of its second dynasty having killed the second king, Nadab.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מִלֵּ֛א  filled 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
יִשְׁמָעֵ֥אל  Ishmael 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׁמָעֵאל  
Sense: son of Abraham and Sarah’s handmaid Hagar and the progenitor of the Arabian peoples.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
נְתַנְיָ֖הוּ  of  Nethaniah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְתַנְיָה 
Sense: son of Elishama of the royal family of Judah and father of Ishmael who murdered Gedaliah.
חֲלָלִֽים  with  the  slain 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חָלָל 
Sense: slain, fatally wounded, pierced.