The deep yearning of a displaced people for redemption echoes powerfully through their prayers. Recognizing that human life is brief and they may not live to see the comfort of Jerusalem, the exiles turn to the eternal God, pleading with Him to save His people [מלבי״ם]. This continuous prayer mirrors the call of the watchmen stationed on Jerusalem's walls, who endlessly remind God to rebuild His city [תורה תמימה]. God is envisioned as rising from His heavenly throne, waking from His place to take decisive action on earth against the enemies of Israel [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The subsequent plea for mercy on Zion is a desperate request to rebuild the desolate, ruined city and to show compassion for its lowly state [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מאירי].
The timing of this anticipated salvation is understood through two distinct concepts: a spontaneous moment of grace and a predetermined appointed time. A time of grace refers to a natural period of divine favor and kindness, where God chooses to be gracious to the people even if they are not entirely deserving. In contrast, the appointed time is the fixed, predestined end of the exile that was promised by the prophets [מלבי״ם].
Commentators offer different perspectives on why this specific time of mercy has arrived. The divine promise of redemption often materializes exactly when the people reach their lowest point of helplessness and exhaustion in exile [רש״י]. Additionally, the sheer duration of the exile and its prolonged suffering provide enough justification to awaken God's mercy [מאירי, חומת אנך]. Consequently, redemption is assured to arrive in one of three ways: through God's pity on the suffering of Jerusalem, through a spontaneous time of favor that brings salvation early, or, at the very least, when the absolute promised end-time finally arrives [מלבי״ם].
On a historical and spiritual level, this plea can be viewed as the prayer of an Israelite trapped in the Babylonian exile. The individual begs God for the immediate, physical reconstruction of the Second Temple from stones and dust as an act of grace, rather than waiting for the distant, spiritual Third Temple destined for the end of days [אלשיך]. This profound desire is rooted in pure affection. It captures the emotional state of the exiles, whose fierce love for Jerusalem drives them to yearn to kiss its very stones and dust, waiting with eager anticipation to rebuild it [רד״ק].