Midrasch zu Ijow 21:8

“Anger is better than laughter, as with a cross countenance the heart will be bettered” (Ecclesiastes 7:3).
“Anger is better than laughter.” Solomon said: Had [my] father been a little angry at Adoniya, it would have been better for him than the laughter with which the attribute of justice mocked him. Why? It is because “with a cross countenance the heart will be bettered.” Had he shown him a cross countenance, he would have caused him to better his ways. Instead, “his father had never aggrieved him” (I Kings 1:6).³⁸Ultimately, this lead to Adoniya’s attempt to sieze power, and his eventual death. See I Kings chapters 1–2. Likewise regarding Amnon, had David his father been a little angry with him, it would have been better for him than the laughter which which the attribute of justice mocked him. Why? It is because “with a cross countenance the heart will be bettered.” Instead, “Amnon alone is dead” (II Samuel 13:32).
Another matter, “anger is better than laughter” – had the Holy One blessed be He been angry at the generation of the Flood, it would have been better than the laughter with which the attribute of justice mocked them, as it is stated: “Their offspring are established before them” (Job 21:8).³⁹Had the Holy One blessed be He shown them anger, they would have improved their ways, and died in peace with their offspring surrounding them. Another matter, “anger is better than laughter” – had the Holy One blessed be He been angry at the Sodomites, it would have been better than the laughter with which the attribute of justice mocked them, as it is stated: “Their houses are safe, without fear” (Job 21:9).⁴⁰That would have been their plight.

But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel (Prov. 12:10). This verse alludes to the men of the generation of the flood, who were extremely cruel. Our rabbis of blessed memory posed the query: What did they do when the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the waters of the deep upon them and they saw the waters beginning to gush over them? They had given birth to many children, as it is written: Their seed is established (nakhon) in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes (Job 21:8). In fact, this verse implies that the women would conceive at night and give birth (nakhon) the next morning, as it is said: And would be ready (nakhon) by morning (Exod. 34:2). And their offspring before their eyes (Job 21:8) indicates that they lived to see their great-grandchildren. Some of them took their children and stuffed them unmercifully into the crevices through which the waters gushed. Hence, it is said: The mercies of the wicked are cruel. How do we know that they actually did that? Job declared: The womb forgetteth him; the worm feedeth sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, unrighteousness is broken as a tree (ibid. 24:20). The womb forgetteth him … he shall be no more remembered signifies that they pressed their own offspring into these crevices. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them after that? He brought the flood down upon them and destroyed them, as it is said: Unrighteousness is broken as a tree.¹³Just as a tree is destroyed by a flood, so these unrighteous men were destroyed by the flood from above.

"The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 9:18)": "When He is silent, who will condemn? If He hides His face, who will see Him, Be it nation or man? (Job 34:29)". Rabbi Meir interpreted: ""He is silent" from his world, and "He hides his face" from his world, like a judge whom a curtain stretches in front of his face and he does not know what is being done beyond it. Likewise they said about the generation of the Flood: "The clouds screen Him so He cannot see as He moves about the circuit of heaven (Job 22:14)"". They said to him: "That is enough for you, Meir". He said to them: "But why is it written: "When He is silent, who will condemn?"? He said: "Did he not give contentment to the generation of the Flood? And who came to reproach them. What contentment did he give them? "Their children are with them always [nakhon], And they see their children’s children (Job 21:8)", "They let their infants run loose like sheep, And their children skip about (Job 28:11)". Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis: Rabbi Levi said: "For three days one's wife was pregnant, as it is said elsewhere using the word nakhon "Be ready [nakhon] for the third day: do not go near a woman (Exodus 19:15)". As nakhon is said here to mean for three days, so nakhon is there for three days". And the Rabbis said: "For one day one's wife was pregnant and gave birth, as nakhon is said there and here: "Be ready [nakhon] by morning (Exodus 34:2)". As nakhon is said here to mean for one day, so nakhon is there for one day". "And they see": they were looking at their children and their children's children. "They let their infants ['avileihem] run loose like sheep": Rabbi Levi said: "In Arabia they call a child an avilah". "And their children skip [yeraqqedun] about": like demons, which is why it says: "And there shall satyrs dance [yeraqqedu] (Isaiah 13:21)". One of these women gave birth during the day, and she said to her son: "Go and bring me a flint to detach your umbilical cord". And at night she said to her son: "Go and light a lamp for me to detach your umbilical cord". There was a time when one gave birth at night and said to her son: "Go and light a lamp for me to detach your umbilical cord" and her son went and met with the demon Asmodeus. Asmodeus said to him: "Go and tell you mother that the rooster has crowed, and if the rooster had not crowed I would have harmed you". The boy said to him: "Go and tell you mother that my mother has not detached my umbilical cord, and if she had I would have struck and killed you." See! It is written: "Their homes are secure, without fear (Job 21:9)": from destroyers/demons. "They do not feel the rod of God (Job 21:9)": because of a lack of chastisement. Why did he hide his face from them? Because he brought to them the Flood. See! It is written: "All existence on earth was blotted out (Genesis 7:23)". "Be it nation or man together". "Be it nation": this is the generation of the Flood". "Or man": this is Noah. "Together": because from him the world was established, and it is possible for him to set up the world from a nation alone and from one man, as it is said: "The sons of Noah who came out of the ark".