“He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 106:46 Mean?
In the midst of exile — when Israel has been conquered, deported, and enslaved — God does something quietly extraordinary: "He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives." He didn't immediately rescue them. He didn't destroy their captors. He gave them favor in the eyes of their oppressors. He softened the hearts of the very people who held them prisoner.
The word "pitied" (racham) means to have compassion, to show mercy. It's the same root as the word for "womb" — a deep, visceral compassion. God caused Israel's enemies to feel maternal-level tenderness toward the people they'd captured. This is supernatural heart-change in the oppressor.
This echoes the pattern of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon — God's people finding favor with their captors not through their own charm but through God's invisible influence. The protection comes not as escape from the situation but as grace within it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you experienced unexpected compassion from someone who had power over you? Could that have been God's work?
- 2.How do you recognize God's quiet miracles — heart-softening, favor, unexplained kindness?
- 3.Is it enough to receive favor within captivity if you're still not free? How do you hold that tension?
- 4.What 'captors' in your life might God be softening right now?
Devotional
God didn't rescue them from captivity. He made their captors kind. The people who conquered them, deported them, enslaved them — God softened their hearts. Not escape, but favor. Not freedom, but compassion within confinement.
This is one of God's quieter miracles, and maybe one of His most common. Not the dramatic Red-Sea-parting rescue, but the invisible heart-softening that makes an impossible situation survivable. Your boss who could have fired you shows unexpected patience. The system that could have crushed you makes an exception. The person who had every reason to be cruel extends mercy instead.
You might not recognize this as God's work because it looks natural. The captor just felt compassion — it could be explained psychologically, sociologically, culturally. But the psalmist says: God made them feel it. The compassion in your captor's heart is God's fingerprint on a situation He hasn't yet changed.
If you're in captivity right now — stuck in a situation you can't escape, working for people who have power over you, trapped in circumstances beyond your control — look for the compassion. It might not be rescue. It might be something quieter: unexplained kindness from unexpected sources. That's God working inside your captivity while He works toward your freedom.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,.... God is to be blessed as the Father of mercies; as the God and Father of our Lord…
He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives - That is, he exercised such control over the…
Here, I. The narrative concludes with an account of Israel's conduct in Canaan, which was of a piece with that in the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture