איוב, פרק ג׳, פסוק ז׳

Job's despair takes a new form as he rethinks his curse upon the night of his conception. Rather than demanding the night be entirely erased from reality, he now accepts its existence but wishes it to remain completely barren, stripped of any movement or happiness [תקות אנוש]. The core of this curse is absolute isolation and desolation [אבן עזרא, רמב״ן, שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון]. This is not ordinary loneliness, but a total severing from all human beings and living creatures [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. Taking this idea further into the conceptual realm, this profound disconnection means the night would be cut off from the very cycle of time, unattached to the days and months of the year [רמב״ן].

This desolate darkness leads directly to a complete absence of joy. The gloom would be so oppressive that groups of people would not go out walking together. Since it is natural for people to break into song when walking in company, a night devoid of human fellowship will naturally be silent of any gladness [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, שטיינזלץ]. The missing joy represents the lively noise and bustle of human gatherings [רמב״ן], because happiness is the primary force that drives movement and activity [תקות אנוש].

While the primary approach views this absent joy as the general sound of human companionship, other perspectives offer a different focus. One approach links the curse directly to conception and marriage. Because any child formed on this night is doomed to a life of suffering, Job wishes for the night to remain completely childless and empty of intimacy between husband and wife. In this view, the silenced joy specifically refers to the happy voices of a bride and groom [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective elevates the missing joy to the heavens, suggesting that Job wishes to silence even the songs of the ministering angels on that dreadful night [רמב״ן].