The description of events is vivid, and the author identifies with the feeling of the protagonist he describes. Thus, for example the feeling of the fear of the Babylonians is portrayed with great intensity, and probably the general mood that prevailed after the destruction of Jerusalem was one of great apprehension of the Babylonian forces that had just completed the devastation of Jerusalem and had deported its inhabitants. The fact that God is not mentioned in the description is connected to the time and place where it was written, as well. There is further support of my assumption that this story was written close to the environs, both from the chronological, and from the geographical perspectives. The entire episode took place within a short period of time, immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem, and ended quickly after the murder of Gedaliah and the flight of some of the inhabitants of Mizpah and the events, to Egypt. We have no way of knowing whether the author of this narrative was one of those who went to Egypt, because a description of the flight to Egypt was already part of the biography of Jeremiah that places the prophet and his experiences at the center of the narrative. However, the pessimistic ending of the account emphasizing that the land was being emptied of its inhabitants and the different details about those who left the country and its concentrate in the area of the [FOREIGN] support this assumption. The description of the rule of Gedaliah was used by the redactor of Jeremiah's biography. Whom inserted it in order to supplement the lacuna in information about the prophet during this short period of time. As mentioned, there is no reference to Jeremiah himself even once in the story. However, from every aspect this episode was incorporated and embedded very well within the biography. The same description of the days of Gedaliah's rule was inserted into the second Book of Kings, chapter 25, verses 22 to 26, as one of two appendices that were added to the story of the Destruction of Jerusalem. In both of them, there is no reference either to the fate of Jerusalem or Zedekiah. The destruction and deportation are portrayed as part of the history. The days of Gedaliah are described in the past tense, and Jehoiachin is depicted as both the leader of the nation and the hope for a renewal of national life. Nonetheless, these two appendices belong to the days of exile, because the Babylonians are portrayed as a central and exclusive force in the region, and there is no reference to the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty, the fall of Babylon, and the return to Zion. The release of Jehoiachin from prison after 37 years, as described in the second Book of Kings, chapter 25, verse 27, is evidence of this central ideological purpose that the author wished to convey to the exiled generation. Patience is an advantage. It is worthwhile to accept the Babylonian yoke, and the hopes for the future depend on the nations' ability to understand and acknowledge its situation. The abstract of the broader description of the account of Gedaliah in chapter 25 verses 22 to 26, contains a similar message and is also intended for the second generation of the exiles. It represents the possibility of restoration, given to those who remain in Judah, should they decided to accept Babylonian authority and Gedaliah's leadership. Nonetheless, the structure of this episode and its emphasis on the end of Gedaliah's days and the flight to Egypt, is in my opinion, evidence that these appendices were redacted by the exiles in Babylon as a continuation, in addition, to the composition of the book of Kings. The message, too, is aimed primarily at those living in Babylon. The emphasis on the remnant's fear of the Babylonians after the murder of Gedaliah. The remnant's flight to Egypt and the population fleeing the country is different from the message addressed to the remnants in Judah in the original story and to that which was depicted in the biography of Jeremiah. Okay, we now know a bit of the history of the text. There was a story describing Gedaliah's rule in Mizpah. It was written close to the events, with some good knowledge on what was really happening. So let's try to reconstruct, according to the information embedded in the story, the early phase of Gedaliah's rule in Mizpah even before the destruction of Jerusalem. Take a break, keep your Bibles nearby and move to the next unit [MUSIC]
