תהלים, פרק ק״ל, פסוק ח׳

True liberation goes beyond merely escaping physical oppression; it requires a deep spiritual cleansing. Earlier fears that God might keep a lasting record of past failures are answered by a profound promise: God Himself will step in to rescue the people from their own sins [אבן עזרא]. However, a natural question arises regarding how a nation can be saved if it is still weighed down by its wrongdoings.

One approach views this as a two-part journey. First, God handles the spiritual rescue by forgiving past sins and inspiring a genuine desire within the Israelites to return to Him. Only after this inner transformation takes place does the physical rescue follow, bringing an end to their exile [רד״ק].

Alternatively, the presence of past sins will not hold back the final rescue at all, simply because those sins have already been washed away [מצודת דוד]. In this light, the long and painful years of exile are not a sign that God has abandoned the Israelites. Instead, the hardship serves as a steady, gradual process of cleansing. While other nations might see their guilt pile up until it leads to their total ruin, God deals with the Israelites little by little, slowly purging their sins so that the extended exile ultimately works for their own purity and benefit [אלשיך].

Another perspective shifts the focus from the wrongdoings themselves to their consequences. The promise of being saved from sins is understood as a promise of being spared from the resulting penalties. God guarantees that He will rescue the Israelites from the severe punishments that were originally decreed against them because of their actions [מאירי].