Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 41:8

"But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren." — Jeremiah 41:8 (ASV)

But ten men were found among them. — The supplies which formed the purchase-money by which the ten saved their lives probably represented the produce of the previous year. This produce, as was customary in the East, had been concealed in pits, far from human settlements, while the land was occupied by the Chaldean armies.