From the depths of a long and bitter exile, a cry of helplessness and spiritual disconnection arises. The psalmist prophesies about a future reality where direct communication with God has ceased, leaving the Israelites in darkness and unable to know when their suffering will end.
A deep frustration takes hold because the miracles of the past and the promised signs of redemption are nowhere in sight [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Some understand these missing signs specifically as the unfulfilled promises of the prophets, which stand in painful contrast to the victory monuments erected by their enemies [רש״י, אבן עזרא]. Furthermore, the exiles experience a harsh reality where the negative signs of disaster—such as the loss of Torah and divine vision—have fully come to pass, while any signs of hope and salvation remain hidden [אלשיך].
This profound despair is rooted in the loss of prophecy. The primary approach among commentators is that this reflects the historical period beginning in the Second Temple era, following the passing of the final prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. With the channels of prophecy closed, there is no one left to reveal the future or declare when the exile will conclude [רד״ק, מאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, another perspective suggests that the loss is not just about prophets in general, but specifically the absence of Elijah, the one destined to announce the final redemption, who has yet to arrive [רד״ק].
The crisis reaches its peak in the realization that there is no one left who knows when the exile will end. The general consensus is that the people are left wondering how much longer the confusion will last, when the redemption will finally arrive, and when their troubles will cease [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. A different approach understands this lack of knowledge more literally: the people are left without anyone who knows even the smallest detail, reflecting a state of total ignorance and a complete inability to make sense of their dire situation [מלבי״ם].