When the princes of Judah heard these things,.... The tumult there was in the temple; these were the princes of the blood, or the nobles of the realm, particularly the courtiers, and who were of the king's privy council; or else the great sanhedrim, consisting of seventy persons, and were the chief court of judicature:then they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord; from the royal palace where they resided; by which it should seem that they were the king's courtiers, and counsellors, and officers of state; unless in those times the sanhedrim sat there; from hence they came up to the temple, where Jeremiah and the priests, &c.
were, which, being built on a hill, was higher than the king's palace; and therefore are said to "come up" to it:and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's [house]; as a court of judicature, to hear and try the cause between the prophet and his accusers.
This gate of the temple is thought to be the higher gate, which Jotham built, 2Ki 15:35. The Targum calls it the eastern gate; and so Kimchi says it was; and that it was called the new gate, according to the Rabbins, because there they renewed the constitutions and traditions; though he thinks the better reason is, because newly repaired, or some new building was added to it.