ירמיהו, פרק מ״ב, פסוק ג׳

Overwhelmed by distress and confusion, the people turn to the prophet, asking him to bring their request before God in prayer so that He might instruct them on how to act [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The exact nature of the guidance they seek is a matter of discussion. One approach suggests that the people are asking for a fundamental decision on whether they should travel to Egypt or remain in the land. From this viewpoint, their dual request for a path to follow and an action to take is simply a repetition of the same basic question [מצודת דוד].

On the other hand, a different perspective argues that the people have already made up their minds to go to Egypt. According to this line of thought, their question is not whether they should leave, but how they should do it. They are asking for the safest physical route to take in order to escape the king of Babylon during their journey. Furthermore, they are seeking practical advice on what they should do once they safely arrive in Egypt [מלבי״ם].