Ishmael was a Jewish zealot who rebelled against the rule of Babylonia in the chaotic period after Judah fell to the Babylonian army. These ten men agreed to give Ishmael some food supplies that they had hidden in their fields if he would spare their lives.

In Bible times, people often hid their harvested grain deep pits in the ground. These storage pits were lined with stone and covered with dirt and straw to keep them dry and to conceal them from thieves. Liquids such as oil and honey were sealed in clay jars before being placed in such underground silos.

JEREMIAH 41:8 – Ten men, said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey.