Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 24:19
Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;
19. Comp. Psa 37:1; Psa 37:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Fret not thyself; which translation of the word is confirmed by the parallel word in the following clause.
Because of evil men; for their present impunity and good success.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19, 20. (Psa 37:1;Psa 37:38; Pro 18:28).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Fret not thyself because of evil [men],…. Because of their outward prosperity and worldly happiness, any more than rejoice at their adversity; neither do the one nor the other; where the one prevails, the other does also; by the frequent repetition of this advice, it looks as if this evil is what good men are prone to, and which was very common in Solomon’s time, and in the time of his father David, from whom he seems to have borrowed these words, Ps 37:1; see Pr 23:17;
neither be thou envious at the wicked; though they may stand when thou fallest, or be in prosperity when thou art in adversity; the reasons follow.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Warning against envying the godless for their external prosperity:
19 Be not enraged on account of evil-doers,
Envy not the godless;
20 For the wicked men shall have no future,
The light of the godless is extinguished.
Ver. 19 is a variation of Psa 37:1; cf. also Pro 3:21 (where with following the traditional is more appropriate than , which Hupfeld would here insert). is fut. apoc. of , to be heated (to be indignant), distinguished from the Tiphel , to be jealous. The ground and occasion of being enraged, and on the other side, of jealousy or envy, is the prosperity of the godless, Psa 73:3; cf. Jer 12:1. This anger at the apparently unrighteous division of fortune, this jealousy at the success in which the godless rejoice, rest on short-sightedness, which regards the present, and looks not on to the end. , merely as in the expression ‘ , 14b (cf. Psa 37:37), always denotes the happy, glorious issue indemnifying for past sufferings. Such an issue the wicked man has not; his light burns brightly on this side, but one day it is extinguished. In 20b is repeated Pro 13:9; cf. Pro 20:20.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; 20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.
Here, 1. He repeats the caution he had before given against envying the pleasures and successes of wicked man in their wicked ways. This he quotes from his father David, Ps. xxxvii. 1. We must not in any case fret ourselves, or make ourselves uneasy, whatever God does in his providence how disagreeable soever it is to our sentiments, interests, and expectations, we must acquiesce in it. Even that which grieves us must not fret us; nor must our eye be evil against any because God is good. Are we more wise or just than he? If wicked people prosper, we must not therefore incline to do as they do. 2. He gives a reason for this caution, taken from the end of that way which wicked man walk in. Envy not their prosperity; for, (1.) There is no true happiness in it: Thee shall be no reward to the evil man; his prosperity only serves for his present subsistence; these are all the good things he must ever expect: there is none intended him in the world of retribution. He has his reward, Matt. vi. 2. He shall have none. Those are not to be envied that have their portion in this life and must out-live it, Ps. xvii. 14. (2.) There is no continuance in it; their candle shines brightly, but it shall presently be put out, and a final period put to all their comforts, Job 21:14; Psa 37:1; Psa 37:2.
| Counsel to Magistrates. | |
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Beware of Envy of Wicked
Verses 19-20 conclude the last of three warnings against envy in this section of Proverbs. The first (Pro 23:17-18) advises the wise son to not envy sinners; but live submissively with confidence that the LORD will supply all needs in this life, plus his glorious expectation in the life beyond (Psa 37:37; Pro 24:14). The second warning (Pro 24:1-2) advises the son to neither be envious of, nor desire to be with evil men, because their activity involves mischief and destruction. This third warning (Pro 24:19-20) advises the son to fret not neither be envious because evil men seem to prosper. There is no lasting reward for such; the candle of the wicked shall be put out (the freedom to pursue evil will be terminated), Pro 13:9; Job 18:5; Job 21:17; Psa 11:6; Psa 37:1-2.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(19) Fret not thyself because of evil meni.e., at the sight of their prosperity, the same difficulty which occurred to the Psalmist (Psa. 37:1). (Comp. also Psa. 73:3 and Jer. 12:1.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. Fret not thyself Be not excited, enraged. This proverb may be related to the preceding.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 19. Fret not thyself because of evil men,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
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. 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 knoweth 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 unto 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 giveth a right answer.
I pause over this last verse to detain the Reader with a short observation concerning what is here said of the kissing of the lips, in giving a right answer. The church saith, that she will kiss Christ her brother, when she hath found him: which is a similar term to that of giving a right answer. Son 8:1 . And the church is said to be kissed by Christ, when at any time he manifests his love to her in some renewed tokens of it, otherwise than he doeth to the world. So that every man shall kiss his lips, when finding Christ as the poor woman did Christ’s feet, because she loved much and had much forgiven. Luk 7:38 . Reader! do not hastily pass away from this view of affection to the person of Jesus. It is blessed, when at any time a right answer is given to the prayer of faith and the enjoyment of Jesus, to have the soul going forth in desires after Christ; in hanging upon Christ, adhering to Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and having none in heaven or earth we desire in comparison of Christ!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 24:19 Fret not thyself because of evil [men], neither be thou envious at the wicked;
Ver. 19. Fret not thyself because of evil men. ] We are wondrous apt to be sick of the fret; hence so many precepts to this purpose. See Pro 23:17 ; Pro 24:1 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fret not = Chafe not thyself. Compare Psa 37:1, Psa 37:7, Psa 37:8.
evil men = evil-doers. Compare Psa 37:1, Psa 37:7, Psa 37:8. Same word as in Pro 24:8.
envious = excited.
the wicked = lawless ones.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 24:19-20
Pro 24:19-20
“Fret not thyself because of evil-doers; Neither be thou envious at the wicked: For there shall be no reward to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.”
Here is the basic proposition upon which the love and worship of God are founded, namely, his hatred of wickedness. The basic assumption of the God-fearing worshipper is that wickedness cannot win, that there will come a time when God in righteous wrath will rise up and cast evil out of his universe. The judgment scene in Matthew 25 envisions that very thing. For the people who understand this, the envy of the wicked, regardless of what blessings they may enjoy in the present life, is absolutely an impossibility.
It is a thoughtless Christian indeed who will fret himself because of success and blessings that attend obviously wicked people. It is inevitable that in a world where nearly all the people are moving in open rebellion against God, that all kinds of injustices and inequities should be, at times, the portion of the godly.
“The prosperity of the wicked is only temporary; they are detested by God (Pro 3:32), and are doomed (Pro 24:20). The second line of Pro 24:20 is identical with that of Pro 13:9.
Pro 24:19. Here we go again with the same instruction that must be more needful that we would realize (see Pro 24:1 and Psa 37:1 and Pro 23:17). Psa 73:3 shows the tendency toward doing this: I was envious at the arrogant, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Pro 24:20. Really there is nothing about the prosperous wicked to envy when we consider their end (no reward and his lamp put out). Both Bildad (Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, And the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tent, And his lamp above him shall be put out (Job 18:5-6) and Job (How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? Job 21:17) realized that God would deal with the wicked. Other passages on the light of the wicked going out: Pro 13:9; Pro 20:20. The Psalmist in Psa 73:3-16 quit envying the wicked when he went into the sanctuary and considered their latter end (Pro 24:17).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fret: or, Keep not company with the wicked. Pro 13:20, Num 16:26, Psa 1:1, Psa 26:4, Psa 26:5, Psa 119:115, 2Co 6:17, Eph 5:11, 2Ti 3:2-5, Rev 18:4
neither: Pro 24:1, Pro 23:17, Psa 37:1, Psa 73:3
Reciprocal: Pro 3:31 – Envy 1Pe 2:1 – envies
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 24:19-20. Fret not thyself because of evil men For their present impunity, or good success. For there shall be no reward to the evil man All his hopes and happiness shall quickly and eternally perish, and he shall have no share in those solid felicities, and blessed recompenses of another life, which thou shalt enjoy. Therefore thou hast no reason to envy him. The candle of the wicked shall be put out All their comfort and glory shall cease.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
"Fret" (Heb. tithar) means to burn up emotionally. The sage again addressed the problem of envying wicked people who enjoy temporary prosperity (cf. Pro 23:17; Pro 24:1). The "lamp" is the life of the wicked. The wicked are doomed; they will have no good outcome for their lives. [Note: Toy, p. 449.]