איוב, פרק ל׳, פסוק ג׳

Job paints a grim portrait of the very fringes of society—the lowly, desperate individuals who now dare to mock him in his suffering. These are people whose lives are defined by grinding poverty, absolute social isolation, and a brutal struggle to survive in the harshest of environments. Their existence is characterized by a severe lack of basic needs and a heavy, constant hunger. This deprivation goes beyond mere financial ruin and starvation; it encompasses a deep personal distress, including bereavement and a total lack of descendants [רמב״ן].

Driven by this extreme poverty, these individuals find themselves in a state of absolute loneliness, completely cut off from human society. They are either forcefully banished and driven away from civilized settlements [רש״י], or they voluntarily withdraw, deeply ashamed and embarrassed to be seen among others in their degraded state [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג]. A different perspective suggests that their isolation describes the physical reality of the unsettled, empty places they inhabit rather than just their social standing [אבן עזרא].

In their distress, they retreat to the dry, barren desert. The primary approach among commentators is that they are desperately fleeing into this wasteland. However, others suggest they do not merely run away but actively chase after these places of ruin [רלב״ג], or that they wander aimlessly, walking in endless circles through the desert [מלבי״ם].

When they reach the wilderness, they are enveloped in the blackness of night. Under the cover of this darkness, they find themselves in places of utter destruction and intense, heavy desolation [מצודת ציון]. They actively seek out these remote, pitch-black areas to hide their disgrace from any watching eye [מצודת דוד], even though the dark desert night exposes them to profound anxiety and the very real dangers of the wasteland [אלשיך].

Offering a contrasting view, another interpretation suggests that this phase of their journey does not refer to the darkness of night at all, but rather to the recent past, specifically "yesterday." According to this understanding, the sudden confidence and comfort these outcasts feel in mocking Job is a very new development. Their boldness began only yesterday, perfectly coinciding with the exact moment Job's own sudden downfall and string of disasters commenced [רמב״ן].