Job 20:16

"He has swallowed down riches, and he will vomit them up again. God will cast them out of his belly."

Key Reflection

In Job 20:16, the verse suggests that those who greedily accumulate wealth will eventually lose it, experiencing a profound sense of loss and regret. This passage highlights the transient nature of material possessions and the inevitability of divine retribution for such covetous behavior.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

He shall suck the poison of asps -That which he swallowed as pleasant nutriment, shall become the most deadly poison; or the consequence shall be as if he had sucked the poison of asps. It would seem that the ancients regarded the poison of the serpent as deadly, however, it was taken into the system. They seem not to have been aware that the poison of a wound may be sucked out without injury to him who does it; and that it is necessary that the poison should mingle with the blood to be fatal. The viper’s tongue shall slay him -The early impression probably was, that the injury done by a serpent was by the fiery, forked, and brandished tongue, which was supposed to be sharp and penetrating.

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