ירמיהו, פרק מ׳, פסוק י״ד

A grave warning is brought to Gedaliah by the military captains, alerting him to a deadly conspiracy. Yet, his own moral purity creates a tragic blind spot that prevents him from seeing the approaching danger.

The captains reveal that the king of Ammon has dispatched Ishmael. This is not a simple mission or diplomatic errand. The act of sending represents a deliberate provocation and incitement to violence, a dark assignment that Ishmael willingly embraces [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. The ultimate goal of this incitement is to deliver a sudden death blow and murder Gedaliah [מצודת דוד].

Despite the clear and urgent warning from the military leaders, Gedaliah completely rejects the threat. His disbelief is rooted deeply in his own decent and righteous nature. Because he knows Ishmael personally, he simply cannot imagine that Ishmael would harbor a desire to murder him without any genuine cause. In Gedaliah's mind, whatever disagreements might exist between them, there is no bitter personal feud that could justify such violence. Consequently, he dismisses the urgent warning as nothing more than a false accusation [ביאור שטיינזלץ].