During times of siege and crisis, a tragic role reversal can unfold when the very leaders tasked with protecting the nation abandon their posts. Instead of managing the defense, military officers and government officials flee together, leaving the ordinary citizens completely helpless and alone to face the advancing enemy [מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. Historically, this devastating collapse of leadership is often identified with the nighttime escape of King Zedekiah and his ministers from Jerusalem [רש"י, רד"ק, מצודת דוד]. This creates a massive breakdown in society, as the ones supposed to lead the war run for their lives, leaving simple folk to fend for themselves [מלבי"ם].
The fate of these escaping leaders is a subject of varied interpretation. The primary approach suggests a physical capture, where the fleeing officials were chased down, overtaken, and bound in chains by enemy archers [רד"ק, מלבי"ם]. A fascinating detail of divine providence adds that God orchestrated a deer to run past the cave where Zedekiah and his men were hiding. When the enemy archers chased the deer, they stumbled upon the cave and captured the fugitives [מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, the sheer terror of seeing the enemy's bows caused the leaders to surrender willingly and allow themselves to be taken [אבן עזרא].
Other commentators understand this capture metaphorically, viewing it as a state of paralysis or confinement. In this light, the dread of enemy arrows acted as an invisible chain, forcing the leaders to lock themselves inside the city [רש"י]. Taking this metaphorical approach further—especially since, historically, Sennacherib did not actually shoot arrows at Jerusalem—some explain that the leaders' hands were "bound" by their own laziness and incompetence, rendering them entirely incapable of waging war [שד"ל]. They were so paralyzed by fear that they could not even draw their own bows [שטיינזלץ].
With the leadership gone, the masses left behind in the city faced a grim reality. Most commentators agree that these ordinary citizens were eventually caught and placed in chains [רש"י, מצודת דוד, רד"ק, שטיינזלץ]. However, a unique perspective suggests that being bound in a military context does not mean physical chains, but rather being forced into combat. Because the officers had run away, the remaining citizens had no choice but to unite as equals, binding themselves to the desperate task of fighting for their lives out of sheer necessity [מלבי"ם].
As for those who attempted to escape, their efforts were largely in vain. Even the individuals who managed to run far away from the immediate danger were ultimately discovered and captured by the enemy [מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. Some suggest that a large portion of the population had already fled to distant lands much earlier [רש"י], while others maintain that this distant flight simply refers back to the cowardly military leaders who abandoned the battlefield to save themselves [שטיינזלץ].