ירמיהו, פרק מ״א, פסוק י״ח

Following a shocking political assassination, Johanan and his followers experienced a deep, existential panic that drove them to flee their homeland. The primary approach among commentators is that this fear stemmed directly from the anticipated reaction of the Babylonian Empire. Because Gedaliah had been personally appointed by the Babylonian king, his murder was viewed as an act of severe rebellion and a direct attack on the empire's authority.

The remaining people were terrified of collective punishment. They worried that the Chaldeans would return to seek revenge on anyone left in the region, falsely accusing the general public of supporting the assassination. Knowing that the Babylonian authorities would not bother to distinguish between the actual murderers and the innocent bystanders who opposed the crime, the group felt they had no choice but to leave. They set their sights on Egypt, which was an independent nation outside the control of Nebuchadnezzar, hoping to find a secure refuge beyond the reach of the empire.