And all the officers of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate, etc. [This] tells [us] that here the above prophecy, “And they will come and place, each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, etc.” (1:15) was fulfilled.

in the middle gate Heb. בשער התוך. Jonathan renders: in the middle gate, the gate of the Temple court, the Nicanor Gate, the Eastern Gate, and it is between the gate of the Women’s Court and the gate of the Temple proper. And our Rabbis (Sanh. 103a) said: The gate where the halachoth were decided (מחתכים). Concerning them, Scripture says. “The place of judgment there is wickedness” (Ecc. 3:16).

by way of the king’s garden He had a cave from his house to the plains of Jericho, and he went out at night by way of the cave. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to fulfill “And I will spread My net over him” (Ezek. 12:13)? He prepared a deer before the Chaldeans walking on the roof the cave outside the city, and they ran after it to seize it, and it ran up to the entrance of the cave, and they saw Zedekiah going out of the cave.

he called him to account Why did you transgress the oath?

and...all the nobles of Judah These are the Sanhedrin, because they had annulled the oath.

the houses of the people The synagogues.

vineyards and fields Heb. ויגבים, fields to till. Every יגיבה is an expression of digging (a fosser in French), to dig.

the officers of Heb. רבי, like שָּׂרֵי.

to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam who defected to the Chaldeans in compliance with Jeremiah’s orders, and when the city was taken, he appointed him governor over those remaining there.

and they shall be before you on that day And the words shall be before you, for you shall see them fulfilled.

into the hand[s] of the men into the hand[s] of the Chaldeans.