And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.
Baalis - called from the idol Baal, as was often the case in pagan names.
Ammonites. So, it was to them that Ishmael went after murdering Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:10).
Slay - literally, strike thee in the soul - i:e., a deadly stroke.
Ishmael. Being of the royal seed of David (Jeremiah 41:1), he envied Gedaliah the presidency to which he thought himself entitled; therefore he leagued himself with the ancient pagan enemy of Judah.
Gedaliah ... believed them not - generous, but unwise unsuspiciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:16).