Baalis

Baalis (meaning a rejoicing or a proud lord) was the king of the Ammonites during the period immediately following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. He appears in Jeremiah 40:14 as the instigator of the assassination plot against Gedaliah, the Jewish governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar over the remnant left in Judah. Johanan son of Kareah warned Gedaliah that Baalis had sent Ishmael son of Netaniah to kill him, but Gedaliah refused to believe the report.

Gedaliah was subsequently murdered by Ishmael as Johanan had warned, along with the Babylonian soldiers stationed with him (Jeremiah 41:1–3). The assassination destroyed the fragile Judahite community under Babylonian rule and precipitated the flight of the remaining population to Egypt against Jeremiah's counsel. Baalis's role in sponsoring the murder reflects Ammonite opportunism in the power vacuum left by Babylon's conquest of Judah.