Matthew Poole and continuators on Jeremiah 39:4

4 ¶ And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war , then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night , by the way of the kings garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls, and he went out the way of the plain .

It should seem that the City was taken by a surprize, the Chaldeans battering the Walls incessantly with their Rams and Engines of War, on a sudden made such a breach as gave them a liberty to enter in.

The King either heard of it, or possibly might be in some place where he might see it, then he begins to think of escaping, but for greater privacy stayeth till he had the covert of the Night,

and then goeth out towards the plains of Iericho, (for there the Chaldeans overtook him, as we read in the next verse) he is said here to have gone by the way side of the Kings garden by the gate betwixt the two Walls. It is very hard for us at this distance of time to pretend to any certainty in determining the way by which he made his escape. They seem to judge most probably, that think that the king had prepared for himself a private passage out of his Garden betwixt two Walls, leading to the Wall of the City, which they had before so weakned, as on a sudden they might dig it thorough, possibly, these particulars are the rather set down, to shew us how God verified what he had revealed in this matter to the Prophet Ezek. 12. where God set the Prophet, ver. 3. To prepare stuff for removing, and to remove by day; in the sight of the People from his own place to another place, and ver. 4. To go out at even in their sight, as they that go out into Captivity. To dig through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby: In their sight to bear it on his shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight; to cover his face, so as not to see the ground, and ver. 6. he told him, that in all this he was to be a sign; and ver. 10. tells him. This burden concerneth the prince in Ierusalem (who was this Zedekiah) ver. 12 And the Prince that is among them, shall bear upon his shoulder, in the twilight, and shall go forth, they shall dig through the wall, to go out thereby; he shall cover his face, that he se[illegible: 1 letter] not the ground with his eyes.