Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 25:23

"Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men." — 2 Kings 25:23 (ASV)

The captains of the armies. —Rather, the army captains; or, the captains of the forces. They and their men had fled with the king and dispersed themselves over the country (Jeremiah 40:7). Now they came out of hiding.

Their men. —The Hebrew text has the men, but all the versions, and Jeremiah 40:7, read rightly, their men.

Mizpah. —See 1 Kings 15:22. It was well suited to be the governor’s residence, as it lay high and was a naturally strong position. Moreover, it was the seat of an ancient sanctuary (Judges 20:1), which might serve in some way as a substitute for the destroyed Temple of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 41:5).

Ishmael. —Grandson of Elishama the royal secretary (2 Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 36:12; Jeremiah 36:20), and of royal blood (Jeremiah 41:1).

Johanan the son of Careah. —Jeremiah 40:8, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Careah.

The Netophathite. —The words, and the sons of Ophai, have fallen out before this epithet (Jeremiah 40:8), and probably the names of these sons of Ophai in both passages. Netophah is mentioned in Ezra 2:22; Nehemiah 7:26. It may be Beit Nettif south-west of Jerusalem.

The son of a (the) Maachathite. —His father was a foreigner and belonged to the Syrian state of Maachah (2 Samuel 10:6; 2 Samuel 10:8).