תהלים, פרק ק״ו, פסוק מ״ו

Even in the darkest moments of exile and captivity, a hidden divine kindness accompanies the people. The harsh reality of losing their freedom is softened by God's unseen intervention, which directly influences how their enemies treat them. As part of their exile, the people were uprooted and scattered across foreign lands that did not belong to them [אבן עזרא], finding themselves dispersed throughout various places in the world [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They were placed directly into the hands of the very people who took them captive [מצודת ציון].

The primary approach among commentators is that God actively worked to awaken feelings of pity within these foreign captors. This divine intervention had a very practical result, as the enemies held back from making the burden of slavery overly heavy [מצודת דוד]. Through this hidden grace, even in the midst of deep suffering and bondage, God granted the people the ability to endure and survive their harsh new reality [מאירי].

Conversely, another perspective offers a different understanding of this mercy. Rather than just describing the compassion of the captors, it explains the very nature of the exile itself. According to this view, being sent away was actually an act of divine mercy designed to bring atonement for the people's sins. By leaving their homeland, the land was finally able to rest and make up for the Sabbatical years that the people had failed to observe. This time away removed the severe spiritual accusations against the nation, ensuring that God would remember His covenant and spare them from total destruction in His anger [אלשיך].