John Gill Bible Commentary

And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates,.... That is, in all their cities and walled towns, which had gates and bars for security: until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land; the Jews had several cities well fenced and strongly fortified, besides Jerusalem, which was fortified both by art and nature, and in which they greatly put their trust and confidence; but these were broken down, particularly by the battering rams of the Romans: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee; this is repeated for the certainty of it, and that it might be taken notice of, and abate their trust and confidence in their outward strength. Now all this was fulfilled, partly in the siege of Samaria by the king of Assyria, who went through all the land of the ten tribes, Kg2 17:5; and in Sennacherib's taking the fenced cities of Judah, Kg2 18:13; and in the siege of Jerusalem, and breaking down the walls of it by Nebuchadnezzar, Kg2 25:10; and, last of all, in the siege of Jerusalem, and battering down the walls of it, by the Romans; at which time also all their strong and fenced cities throughout the land were taken and demolished.