מלכים ב, פרק כ״ה, פסוק כ״ו

The tragic final chapter of the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel following the destruction of the First Temple concluded in a wave of mass panic. Every remaining person, from the youngest to the oldest, along with the military commanders, abandoned their homes and fled to Egypt.

The primary approach among commentators is that this desperate escape was driven by a deep fear of the Chaldeans, sparked directly by the assassination of Gedaliah. Because Gedaliah had been appointed by the Babylonian king to oversee the surviving population, the people were terrified of a harsh retaliation. They worried the Babylonians would suspect the entire nation of conspiring and participating in the murder of both Gedaliah and the Chaldean soldiers stationed with him.

The prophet Jeremiah attempted to strengthen their resolve, urging the people to remain in the land and promising that they had no reason to fear the Chaldeans. However, the people refused to listen to his guidance. In their rush to escape to Egypt, they dragged Jeremiah along with them, forcing the prophet into exile against his will.