תהלים, פרק קכ״ד, פסוק ג׳

The wrath of Israel's enemies is a destructive, immediate force that would consume its victims without a trace if not for Divine providence. The events hinge entirely on a chilling condition: had God not been present with His people, total and absolute destruction would have inevitably followed [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

The sheer intensity of the danger is brought to life through the vivid imagery of raw hunger and lust. Much like a starving person who refuses to wait for their meat to cook and devours it raw, the enemies were driven by such a fierce craving to destroy that they rushed to consume their victims all at once [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מאירי]. A complementary perspective shifts the focus from the attackers' hunger to the victims' terrifying reality. The attackers sought to swallow their victims while they were still fully conscious and breathing, akin to being thrown alive into the grave [אבן עזרא]. This particular threat of being devoured represents the complete loss of physical existence and the destruction of the body, standing in contrast to the danger of spiritual loss mentioned later on [מלבי״ם].

The timing of this threat was crucial, as the danger reached its absolute peak during the explosive moment when the enemies' anger first ignited [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Had the attackers struck at the exact second their rage flared, their plot to swallow their victims alive would have succeeded. Ultimately, survival was only possible because God intervened in a subtle yet profound way. He placed it within the hearts of the enemies to pause and delay their assault. By extending the time and preventing an immediate strike during the height of their fury, God averted immediate annihilation [אלשיך].