איוב, פרק כ׳, פסוק כ״ג

The peak of a wicked person's success is often the exact moment divine justice strikes. A corrupt individual might spend a lifetime hoarding wealth, believing they have finally achieved all their desires. Even if they manage to escape human courts after a life of robbery and oppression, God eventually steps in to fight on behalf of the victims [מלבי״ם]. Just as the wrongdoer sits down to enjoy their stolen abundance and fully satisfy their appetite, God unleashes His anger upon them [רמב״ן, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The material wealth they gathered suddenly transforms into the source of their own downfall.

However, the idea of a full stomach is not always a picture of luxury. Instead of enjoying a feast, the fullness itself can be the punishment. In this prophetic view, God multiplies the person's troubles and pains to such an extreme degree that suffering is what truly fills them [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

When divine judgment arrives, it falls from above in several possible ways. The primary approach among commentators is that God rains down fire, sulfur, and burning sparks in a fierce war against the wicked, similar to the destruction of Sodom [רש״י, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective suggests that this heavenly anger strikes the physical flesh and body of the wrongdoer directly [רלב״ג, אבן עזרא, רמב״ן]. A third view connects the punishment back to the person's greed, explaining that disaster will rain down through the very food they chose to consume [רמב״ן, אבן עזרא].

A completely different approach shifts the focus from a wicked person's punishment to an everyday social encounter between the rich and the poor. In this scenario, a starving person approaches a wealthy homeowner, asking only for enough food to be full. The wealthy man responds with anger and hostility. God intervenes, but instead of bringing destruction, He showers abundance and blessing upon them both. This is because the simple act of providing food to a poor person carries such immense merit that it brings a heavenly blessing back to the homeowner himself [אלשיך].