Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Proverbs 24:16

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Proverbs 24:16. For a just man] צדיק tsaddik, the righteous, the same person mentioned above.

Falleth seven times — Gets very often into distresses through his resting place being spoiled by the wicked man, the robber, the spoiler of the desert, lying in wait for this purpose, Proverbs 24:15.

And riseth up again — Though God permit the hand of violence sometimes to spoil his tent, temptations to assail his mind, and afflictions to press down his body, he constantly emerges; and every time he passes through the furnace, he comes out brighter and more refined.

But the wicked shall fall into mischief. — And there they shall lie; having no strong arm to uphold them. Yet,

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Godly and ungodly citizens (24:1-34)

In contrast to the destructive schemes of the wicked are the constructive acts of the wise. A life built by wisdom is likened to a strongly built and richly furnished house (24:1-4). Wisdom gives people real strength and success, but folly gives them nothing worthwhile, not even sensible words that can benefit their fellow citizens (5-7). (In ancient times the place where citizens liked to gather was the open area just inside the city gate; v. 7. There they discussed community affairs and dealt with matters of business and justice.)
Those who constantly plan evil or scorn others are a menace to society (8-9). So are the moral cowards who give in when hardship arises or who refuse to help the afflicted and the oppressed, claiming they did not know of their troubles (10-12). By contrast, those who allow wisdom to teach them find that its fruits are sweet and lasting (13-14).
Righteous people need not plot the overthrow of the wicked, for the destruction of the wicked will come of itself. The righteous will overcome repeated hardships but the wicked will not (15-16). The wicked are certain to be overthrown, but when this happens the righteous should not gloat over them (17-20). Rather the righteous should maintain an attitude of reverence towards God and honour towards the civil authorities (21-22).
People respect a judge who is impartial; they despise one who shows favouritism (23-26). It is wise to be assured of a reliable source of income before taking on the heavy financial burden of building a house (27). Revenge is a terrible thing, especially when people combine it with false accusation in order to get their own way (28-29). If people sleep when they should be working, they demonstrate their stupidity as well as their their laziness. They will surely end in poverty and disgrace (30-34).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

Word 27.

“Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous; Destroy not his resting place: For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.”

This warning is pointed squarely at the wicked, stressing the fact that God Himself blesses, preserves and protects his true followers. Christ himself promised to be with his followers “even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20); and in spite of the fact that this is not a blanket exemption from the trials and misfortunes of life, what is stated here is a true and faithful promise of God’s eternal preference for the righteous.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The teaching of the proverb warns men not to attack or plot against the righteous. They will lose their labor, “Though the just man fall (not into sin, but into calamities), yet he riseth up.” The point of the teaching is not the liability of good men to err, but God’s providential care over them (compare the margin reference). “Seven times” is a certain for an uncertain number (compare Job 5:19). In contrast with this is the fate of the evildoers, who fall utterly even in a single distress.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 24

Again, he continues in twenty-four in putting them together in couplets or in phrases.

Be not envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studies destruction, and their lips talk of mischief ( Proverbs 24:1-2 ).

The next one.

Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all pleasant riches ( Proverbs 24:3-4 ).

Wisdom and knowledge, the value of them.

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increases strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate ( Proverbs 24:5-7 ).

The gate was always the place of judgment.

He that devises to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men ( Proverbs 24:8-9 ).

Now we have some more that are... no, not yet.

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If you say, Behold, we knew it not ( Proverbs 24:11-12 );

In other words, if you fail to help someone when you have the capacity to do it, if you do it not, if you say, "Behold, I didn't know."

doth not he that pondereth the heart considereth it? and he that keeps the soul, does he not know it? and shall not he render every man according to his works? ( Proverbs 24:12-13 )

You know, you can't beg off your responsibility because God knows your heart. God knows what's in your mind. And you may try to excuse your actions. "Oh, I didn't know." But yet God is going to ponder your heart. God knows what's in your mind. And God will render to every man according to his works.

My son, eat honey, because it's good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to your taste: and so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto your soul: when you have found it, then there shall be a reward, and the expectation shall not be cut off ( Proverbs 24:13-14 ).

How sweet is a nugget of truth. How sweet it is to get understanding from the Lord on a particular thing. It's just as sweet as honey into your mouth, there is a sweetness in your soul when you gain knowledge and wisdom.

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, but he will rise up again: but the wicked will fall into mischief ( Proverbs 24:15-16 ).

We may fall, but thank God we rise again. I've often said there isn't any great evil in falling unless you just lie there. Everybody stumbles. Everybody falls. None of us are perfect, and God knows that we're not perfect. He knows our frame, that we're but dust. We usually expect more out of ourselves than God expects. And we're usually harder on ourselves than God is. We get so disappointed when we have fallen. We get so disappointed when we have failed. It doesn't disappoint God at all. He knew all the time we were going to stumble. It was just I was expecting more out of myself than God is. And God doesn't judge or condemn when you stumble. It's only when you lie there. God understands. He has great patience with us. Even as you have great patience in teaching your child to walk.

You expect your child to stumble. You expect your child to fall. Oh, of course, you will do your best to keep your child from falling. But there are those times when the child is learning to walk and he falls. Now a wise parent won't get all excited and scream and run over and say, "Oh, are you all right?" He just says, "Well, get up now. Try again." If you show all fear and excitement, then the child will get excited and start to cry and get discouraged. But you say, "Well, that was great! You did real well. You took five steps before you stumbled. That's good." And you encourage the child to go again.

Now God is teaching us to walk and we stumble. And we get all discouraged. "I tried so hard. Failed again." And God is saying, "Hey, that was a good try. Let's go at it again. Now here's where you made your mistake. You got your eyes off of Me. You got them on the way, that's when you began to sink." And the Lord picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us up again. He's so patient with us. He's so understanding with us. And if the righteous falls seven times, he's going to rise again.

Now here's a hard one:

Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turns away his wrath from him ( Proverbs 24:17-18 ).

Now that's not too good a motivation not to rejoice. If you rejoice, God may take it off. So don't rejoice and let God just continue to whip him.

Fret not thyself because of evil men ( Proverbs 24:19 ),

You remember Psalms 37:1-40 , it seems like this is probably something that Solomon picked up from his father David. "Fret not thyself," David said, "for evildoers, for they shall be cut off" ( Psalms 37:1-2 ). Now, "Fret not thyself because of evil men."

neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out ( Proverbs 24:19-20 ).

Don't be envious of them. They're going to be cut off.

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knows the ruin of them both? These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith to the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Every man shall kiss his lips that gives a right answer. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build your house. Now be not a witness against your neighbor without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me: I will render to the man according to his work ( Proverbs 24:21-29 ).

Don't say that. That's so often. "I'm going to do to him what he did to me. Boy, as we grew up as kids. Always. I just did to him what he did to me, you know." God said don't say that. "Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord, I will repay" ( Romans 12:19 ).

Now from thirty on we have ode to the slothful man.

I went to the field of a slothful, and by the vineyard of the man who is void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was broken down ( Proverbs 24:30-31 ).

Now you that have been over into the land, you can picture this. All of those stone walls that are around the vineyards and all, and they are set usually in such neat order. But the slothful man, the stone wall is broken down.

Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and I received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: And so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man ( Proverbs 24:32-34 ).

A lesson from the slothful. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

To make a point, the speaker spoke to his son as though he were addressing a wicked man in this saying. This device gives the warning more force since the wicked man’s main concern is his own self-interest. The point is that the righteous is resilient because he trusts in God. Furthermore, God defends the righteous. Virtue triumphs in the end. [Note: Whybray, The Book . . ., p. 140.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up [again],.... This is to be understood of a truly just man; not of one that is only outwardly and seemingly so, or of temporary believers and nominal professors; but of such who are thoroughly convinced of their own unrighteousness, and believe in Christ for righteousness, and have it applied and imputed to them; as well as have principles of grace and righteousness implanted in them, and live righteously in this evil world; these often fall either into troubles or into sins, and indeed into both, and the one is the cause of the other; and both senses may be retained: the former seems more agreeable to the context, and runs thus, lay not wait to a just man's dwelling to do him any hurt; for though he should be ensnared, and stumble, and fall into distress and calamity, yet he will rise again out of it, and so all attempts upon him are vain and fruitless; many are the righteous man's afflictions he falls into, but the Lord delivers out of all; he delivers him in six troubles, and even in seven, Psalms 34:19; or in many, one after another; he rises out of them all; he comes out of great tribulations, and at last safely enters the kingdom of heaven; and therefore it is to no purpose to lie in wait for him: and this sense is strengthened by the words following, "rejoice not when thine enemy falleth", Proverbs 24:17; but the latter sense of falling into sin has been anciently received, and not to be rejected; and which generally precedes and is the cause of falling into trouble. A just man, though he does not fall from his righteousness, which is an everlasting one, nor from the grace of God; yet he may fall into temptation, and by it he may fall into sin, as every just man does; "for there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not", Ecclesiastes 7:20; and that frequently, even every day; and therefore stands every day in need of fresh application of pardoning grace, for which he is directed to pray daily; and he may be left to fall foully into very gross sins, as David, Peter, and others; but not totally and finally, so as to perish; being on the heart of God, in the hands of Christ, on him the foundation, united to him, and kept by the power of God, he shall and does rise again sooner or later; not by his own power and strength, but by the strength of the Lord; he rises by renewed repentance, and under the fresh discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy to heal his backslidings;

but the wicked shall fall into mischief; or "evil" q; into the evil of sin, and there lie and wallow in it, as the swine in the mire, and never rise out of it; and into the evil of punishment, into hell itself, from whence there will be no deliverance; and oftentimes they fall into mischief in this world, into trouble and distress, into poverty and want, in which they live and die, and never recover out of it; to which agrees what follows.

q ברעה "in malum", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Mercerus, Gejerus, Michaelis, Schultens.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      15 Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:   16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

      This is spoken, not so much by way of counsel to wicked men (they will not receive instruction, Proverbs 23:9; Proverbs 23:9), but rather in defiance of them, for the encouragement of good people that are threatened by them. See here, 1. The designs of the wicked against the righteous, and the success they promise themselves in those designs. The plot is laid deeply: They lay wait against the dwelling of the righteous, thinking to charge some iniquity upon it, or compass dome design against it; they lie in wait at the door, to catch him when he stirs out, as David's persecutors, Psalms 59:1 title. The hope is raised high; they doubt not but to spoil his dwelling-place because he is weak and cannot support it, because his condition is low and distressed, and he is almost down already. All this is a fruit of the old enmity in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman. The blood-thirsty hate the upright. 2. The folly and frustration of these designs (1.) The righteous man, whose ruin was expected, recovers himself. He falls seven times into trouble, but, by the blessing of God upon his wisdom and integrity, he rises again, sees through his troubles and sees better times after them. The just man falls, sometimes falls seven times perhaps, into sin, sins of infirmity, through the surprise of temptation; but he rises again by repentance, finds mercy with God, and regains his peace. (2.) The wicked man, who expected to see his ruin and to help it forward, is undone. He falls into mischief; his sins and his troubles are his utter destruction.