איוב, פרק כ׳, פסוק כ״ח

A sudden and complete loss of wealth stands at the center of the wicked person's punishment. The assets he spent a lifetime gathering vanish rapidly, leaving him completely exposed and vulnerable to the wrath of God.

The primary approach among commentators is that this wealth is essentially sent into exile, forcefully removed and separated from its owner. However, another perspective suggests that this loss is fundamentally about public exposure. As his riches disappear, the wicked person's hidden sins are brought to light, and his dramatic downfall becomes the main topic of public conversation [מלבי״ם, אלשיך].

The destruction targets not just literal crops from the earth, but serves as a broad symbol for all of a person's wealth, assets, food, and movable property [מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, תקות אנוש, רמב״ן]. Some add that this devastating loss might even extend to the members of his own household [אבן עזרא].

This ruin is compared to forcefully flowing or spilling water, an image that commentators interpret in several ways. One approach explains that the wealth itself flows away. His treasures are plundered and lost like water poured down a steep slope, impossible to ever gather again [רש״י, רמב״ן, תקות אנוש]. This flowing water highlights the sheer speed and immediate nature of the ruin [רמב״ן, תקות אנוש]. A second approach views the flowing water as the punishment itself. When the time comes, God pours out His anger, and disasters wash over the wicked without pause [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A third view expands this to include human threats. Once divine protection is removed and the person's sins are exposed, the fear he once instilled in others disappears. Human enemies then rise up and wash over him like a flood [אלשיך].

All of these devastating events converge on a specific time, the day when God fully unleashes His anger [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד].