Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them. — The purpose of the new murder does not appear at first sight. The very presence of the devout mourners may have roused him to bitterness. Their recognition of Gedaliah may have seemed the act of traitors to their country. Possibly also the act may have been one of vindictive retaliation for the murder of his kinsmen (Jeremiah 52:10), or have been perpetrated for the sake of plunder.
Related Commentaries of Jeremiah 41:7
Jeremiah 41:7
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.