Enduring profound suffering often triggers a fierce internal struggle, leading a person to choose absolute silence. Fearing that intense pain might cause them to speak improperly, they mute themselves. However, locking away such deep emotions extracts a heavy toll, breeding despair and ultimately amplifying the agony.
This silence is a deliberate process. It begins at the exact moment speech ceases [מצודת ציון] and extends into a continuous, unbroken quiet [מלבי״ם]. The suffering individual trains themselves to remain quiet, suppressing their voice until they effectively become like someone who is physically mute [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מאירי].
This self-imposed muteness goes beyond merely holding back complaints; it includes a complete withdrawal from speaking about good things or offering words of comfort. The primary approach among commentators is that avoiding positive speech serves as a protective barrier. The individual fears that engaging in any conversation will open the floodgates of their emotions, inevitably leading to bitter complaints and cries about their misery [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד].
On the other hand, this silence can be understood as an expression of profound despair. A person consumed by illness and suffering may sink so deeply into their misery that they lose all hope for anything positive. Consequently, they stop praying for peace [רד״ק, מאירי] and withdraw from anything good in life [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
As a direct result of bottling up these emotions, the pain turns dark, deep, and destructive [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet, even as this agony corrupts them from within, the person continues to hold back, gathering whatever strength remains to maintain their silence [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. This destructive nature of the pain is either a profound expression of the agony itself, or it describes the physical toll on the flesh, which is slowly deteriorating under the weight of the suffering [רד״ק, מאירי].
Another interpretive layer connects this silence to the study of the Torah, which is traditionally equated with goodness. In this context, silence represents the neglect of spiritual learning. If a person has the ability to study God's teachings but chooses to remain silent, God brings upon them severe and destructive suffering [תורה תמימה]. Alternatively, it is the overwhelming physical pain itself that forces the individual into silence, preventing them from studying. The heartbreaking realization that they are blocked from this spiritual pursuit only magnifies their pain, destroying their soul even further [אלשיך].