So maybe after today's reading you're like me and wondering "Who is this Ishmael son of Nethaniah character?" The Bible says he was working for Baalis, king of the Ammonites, to disrupt the ability of the remnant in Judah to get back on their feet. The clue is in Jeremiah 41:1 where he is described as "Ishmael, son of Nathaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers." There are a couple possibilities, then, for Ishmael's motivation: 1) being of royal blood, he was jealous of Gedaliah's position and greedy for the power, 2) as one of King Zedekiah's officers he felt a loyalty to the king and saw Gedaliah as a puppet of Babylon.
What is completely unclear, however--like The Daily Bible editor says--is the motive behind killing the men coming to mourn for Jerusalem. That move simply appears to be heartless murder.
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