איוב, פרק כ״ט, פסוק כ״ד

Job reflects on the immense awe and respect he once commanded, highlighting an almost unimaginable gap between himself and the rest of society. Even when he attempted to act with warmth and simplicity, his towering status remained completely unchanged. The commentators agree that whenever Job would smile at the people around him, they simply could not believe it. Driven by deep reverence, fear, and a profound recognition of his importance, the very idea of him smiling at them felt foreign and impossible. Job actually smiled on purpose to make the people feel closer to him, attempting to bridge the massive gap between them and offer a sense of equality. However, this effort failed because his warmth seemed like nothing more than a dream to them [אלשיך].

Despite his efforts to be approachable, the people never diminished his glowing presence or his aura of importance. The primary approach among commentators notes that typically, when a powerful ruler or a highly respected person smiles frequently, the people around him lose their sense of awe and begin to treat him lightly [אבן עזרא, רמב״ן]. Yet, Job's situation was entirely different. His smile never caused people to become overly familiar or to treat his honor with any less respect. Instead, they remained standing in absolute awe, maintaining their reverence exactly as if he had never smiled at all.