To swallow, engulf, or overwhelm. The word describes total consumption — whether physical swallowing or metaphorical destruction of a person, nation, or enemy.
The verb bala carries the force of complete obliteration. When Pharaoh's armies were swallowed by the Red Sea (Exodus 15:12), or when the earth swallowed Korah (Numbers 16:32), the word communicates divine judgment that leaves nothing remaining. In Proverbs, bala describes how wealth can be suddenly devoured. The word reminds Israel — and the Church — that God alone can both destroy and preserve. What He swallows in judgment, nothing reclaims.