Thus even to the last hour, God made plain His willingness to show mercy to those who would choose to submit to His just requirements. Had the king chosen to obey, the lives of the people might have been spared, and the city saved from conflagration; but he thought he had gone too far to retrace his steps. He was afraid of the Jews, afraid of ridicule, afraid for his life. After years of rebellion against God, Zedekiah thought it too humiliating to say to his people, I accept the word of the Lord, as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah; I dare not venture to war against the enemy in the face of all these warnings.

Lige til sidste øjeblik tilkendegav Gud, at han var villig til at være nådig imod dem, der underkastede sig hans retfærdige krav. Hvis kongen havde besluttet sig til at adlyde, kunne folkets liv være blevet sparet, og byen kunne have undgået at blive flammernes bytte. Men han troede, at han var gået for langt til at kunne tiltræde tilbagetoget. Han frygtede for jøderne, var bange for at blive latterliggjort og var ængstelig for sit liv. Zedekias havde gjort oprør imod Gud i mange år og anså det for at være for ydmygende at sige til folket: "Jeg følger Herrens ord, som er talt ved profeten Jeremias. Jeg tør ikke kæmpe med fjenden efter alle disse advarsler."