Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 25:1

"And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about." — 2 Kings 25:1 (ASV)

And it came to pass. — With the account that follows, compare Jeremiah 52:4 and following, Jeremiah 39:1–10, and Jeremiah 40-43.

In the ninth year ... tenth day. — Compare the similarly exact dates in 2 Kings 25:3 and 2 Kings 25:8. Ezekiel 24:1–2 agrees with the present account. The days were observed as fasts during the exile (Zechariah 7:3, Zechariah 7:5, and Zechariah 8:19).

Came ... against Jerusalem. — After taking the other strongholds of Judah, as Sennacherib had done (Jeremiah 34:7; compare 2 Kings 18:13 and 2 Kings 19:8), Zedekiah must have prepared for the siege, as it lasted a year and a half.

Forts. — The Hebrew word (dâyçq) occurs in Ezekiel 4:2, Ezekiel 17:17, Ezekiel 21:27, and Ezekiel 26:8. Its meaning is some kind of siege work, as appears from the context in each case; but what precisely is not clear. The Septuagint here has “wall” (τεῖχος); Syriac, “palisade” (qalqûmê, i.e., χαράκωμα).