מלכים ב, פרק כ״ה, פסוק כ״ג

Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of its fighting forces, a faint hope for renewed organization emerges in the land of Judah. During the war, the national army commanders [מצודת ציון] had fled the city. Terrified of being killed or exiled by the king of Babylon, they sought refuge in hidden fortresses, rocky crags, and deep forests [רש״י, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

When news reached these scattered leaders that the Babylonian king had appointed Gedaliah as governor over the land, they finally emerged from hiding. They journeyed to Mizpah, a city in the territory of Benjamin north of Jerusalem, which served as Gedaliah's new center of leadership [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The commanders did not arrive alone; they brought the regular soldiers who had remained under their command and accompanied them through the ordeal [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This gathering was a deliberate attempt to form a small military force around the new governor. Their shared goal was to maintain a surviving Jewish presence in the Land of Israel despite the recent devastation [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary figures who arrived with their troops to join Gedaliah included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite [מצודת דוד].