Who was Ishmael son of Nethaniah?

Ishmael the son of Nethaniah was an officer of the army in Judah. He is first mentioned in Jeremiah 40:8: “They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan, and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men.” This Ishmael should not be confused with Abraham’s first son, who lived centuries earlier. Ishmael son of Nethaniah lived during the period of the Babylonian captivity, while Gedaliah was the Babylonian-appointed governor of Judah. Ishmael son of Nethaniah, who was of royal blood (Jeremiah 41:1), was a turncoat who took payment from the Ammonites to assassinate Gedaliah.

Ishmael son of Nethaniah was an officer of Judah who remained in the land after Babylon’s attack and deportation of all but “a remnant in Judah” (Jeremiah 40:11). After Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor in Mizpah (Jeremiah 40:7), Ishmael visited Gedaliah along with other officers. Later, Baalis, king of Ammon, commissioned Ishmael to murder Gedaliah. The governor was warned of the plot, but he disbelieved it (verse 14). In fact, Johanan son of Kareah offered to intercept Ishmael and kill him before he could harm Gedaliah, but the governor would not agree to that: “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true,” he said (verse 16).

So, Ishmael son of Nethaniah came to Gedaliah in Mizpah with ten men. While they feasted with the governor, “Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah . . . with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there” (Jeremiah 41:2–3).

But the bloodshed did not stop there. Soon after the massacre, “eighty men . . . came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord” (Jeremiah 41:5). Full of treachery, Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out to meet the men, “weeping as he went” (verse 6), and accompanied them into the city. “When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern” (verse 7). Ishmael then captured the rest of the people in Mizpah and began a journey to Ammon with his captives in tow (verse 10). Alerted to what Ishmael had done, Johanan and other officers gave chase and caught up with him in Gibeon. The hostages were rescued, but Ishmael and eight of his men escaped into Ammon (verses 11–15).

There are several theories regarding Ishmael’s motives for his wicked deed. Some commentators propose that Ishmael was offended at being snubbed for the position of governor, since he himself was of royal blood. Others suggest that Ishmael was acting in rebellion against the Babylonian authorities. What seems most likely is that he was motivated by personal gain, especially given his Ammonite alliance.

Whatever his motives were, Ishmael portrayed the depth of human rebellion, even in the face of judgment. His wicked actions occurred in the wake of Babylon’s attack, proving how stubborn the unrepentant can be—much like the Israelites at Sinai after seeing God’s power on display (Exodus 19:16–19; 32:1).

We don’t know the end of Ishmael’s story. Scripture says he escaped retribution at the hands of Johanan and fled into Ammon (Jeremiah 41:15). Other than that, the fate of Ishmael son of Nethaniah remains a mystery. Cut off from God’s covenant people, and having chosen the path of murder and treachery, did he live the rest of his life in peace and happiness? We think not.