מלכים ב כ״ה:א׳-ז׳

בשנת התשיעית למלכו. של צדקיהו:

In the ninth year of his reign. Of Tzidkiyohu.¹Which corresponds to Nevuchadnetzar's seventeenth year.—Radak

דיק. תרגם יונתן: כרקום:

Siege towers. [Targum Yonoson] rendered כרקום [=works of siege].

דרך שער בין החומתים. מערה הולכת מביתו עד ערבות יריחו, וברח לו דרך המערה, והקב"ה זימן צבי הולך על גג המערה חוץ לעיר, ורדפו כשדים אחרי הצבי, וכשהגיעו לפתח המערה בערבות יריחו ראוהו ולכדוהו, הוא שאמר (ביחזקאל יב יג): ופרשתי רשתי עליו ונתפש במצודתי:

By way of the gate between the two walls. A cave went from his house until the Plains of Yericho, and he fled through the cave. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, ordained a deer walking on the roof of the cave. and the Kasdim pursued the deer, and when they reached the cave's entrance in the Plains of Yericho, they saw him and captured him. This is what [Scripture] states, ”And I will spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare.”²Yechezkeil 12:13.

וידברו אתו משפט. נתווכח עמו על השבועה:

And called him to account. He debated with him concerning the oath.³Tzidkiyohu violated his oath of allegiance to Nevuchadnetzar.—Radak ⁴The Gemara in Maseches Nedarim 65a states that Tzidkiyohu had discovered Nevuchadnetzar eating a live, or according to other opinions, an uncooked rabbit. He had him swear that he would never reveal what he had seen. However, Tzidkiyohu had his oath nullified and revealed Nevuchadnetzar's uncivilized behavior. When Nevuchadnetzar found out that people were making fun of him, he realized that Tzidkiyohu had broken his promise.