מלכים ב, פרק כ״ה, פסוק ד׳

The breaking point of Jerusalem arrives with a desperate, secret escape under the cover of darkness. Exhausted by severe famine, the defending soldiers are no longer able to hold back the Babylonian army. As a result, the city appears as though it has simply broken open on its own [מצודת דוד]. Jerusalem was protected by three walls, and once the outermost wall is breached, the Babylonian officers begin to establish their positions inside [מלבי״ם]. Realizing the enemy has infiltrated their defenses, the remaining soldiers decide to flee, slipping away into the night [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד, חומת אנך, רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

To avoid the sight of the besieging Chaldean forces, the soldiers use a hidden path or gate located between two walls near the king's garden [רלב״ג, רד״ק, חומת אנך, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. King Zedekiah and his men join this quiet retreat, directing their steps toward the desert and the plains of Jericho in hopes of remaining undetected [רלב״ג, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Alongside the description of a physical escape route through the city's fortifications, a Midrashic tradition describes the path between the walls as a secret underground cave stretching from Zedekiah's home all the way to the plains of Jericho. According to this account, Zedekiah uses this hidden tunnel, but God orchestrates events to ensure his capture. God sends a deer to walk along the surface directly above the cave. The Chaldean soldiers spot the deer and give chase. This pursuit leads them exactly to the cave's exit in the plains of Jericho at the precise moment Zedekiah emerges. The soldiers capture the king, fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel that God would spread His net over him and catch him in His snare [רש״י, רד״ק].