מלכים ב, פרק כ״ה, פסוק י״ח

During the fall of Jerusalem, the Babylonian captain of the guard deliberately sifted through the captives to isolate a select group of prominent leaders and high-ranking Temple officials. Their capture was not a random sweep. Rather, these individuals were targeted because they formed the core of the senior leadership that advised the king and directed the affairs of the state and its military operations. Because of their high political and strategic value, they were specifically taken to the king of Babylon [אברבנאל].

Among these captives were the two highest-ranking spiritual leaders of the nation. Commentators universally agree on their identities: the first was the High Priest, who stood at the head of the entire priesthood, and the second was his direct deputy, serving as the second-in-command over the Temple service.

The remaining captives in this elite group were the keepers of the threshold. While the threshold literally refers to the doorposts of the gates, leading some to identify these men directly as the physical gatekeepers of the Temple [מצודת ציון], the primary approach among commentators is that they were officials of significant status and heavy responsibility. Opinions vary slightly on the exact nature of their duties. Some explain that they were the general guards of the Temple complex [רלב״ג]. Others focus on a more specialized role, suggesting they were entrusted with protecting the precious Temple vessels [רד״ק, אברבנאל], or that they were senior administrators who held the keys to the sacred chambers and national treasuries [ביאור שטיינזלץ].