איוב, פרק כ׳, פסוק ט״ז

The wealth and pleasures a person eagerly gathers throughout life can suddenly transform into the very instruments of their destruction. The primary approach among commentators is to view this imagery through the lens of deadly snake venom [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A person might experience a fate so bitter it is as though they willingly drank poison straight from a serpent's mouth [מצודת דוד]. As this toxic substance accumulates within, it inevitably leads to a harsh, sudden, and unnatural death [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond the physical imagery, a central approach understands this as a sharp metaphor for the unpredictable reversals of human fortune. The act of drawing in venom symbolizes the wealth and assets a person worked so hard to acquire in their younger years. The early nourishment and success they enjoyed ultimately curdle into a deadly poison that brings about their downfall [רמב״ן]. It is a complete reversal of blessing. Rather than enjoying a life of comfort and sweetness, all of a person's toil and labor become a source of suffering and ruin. Everything they once touched and built up eventually turns against them, repaying their efforts with disaster [אבן עזרא].

On a spiritual level, this suffering is understood as a punishment deeply connected to the forces of evil. The end of such a person does not come from God or through a holy angel. Instead, their demise is brought about by forces of impurity, represented by the lethal strike of a viper [אלשיך].