Proverbs 24:20

Pro 24:20 For there shall be no reward to the evil [man]; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Ver. 20. For there shall be no reward.] He shall suffer both pain of loss, and pain of sense, which whether is the more grievous, is hard to determine. Sure it is, that the tears of hell are not sufficient to bewail the loss of heaven; their worm of grief gnaws as painfully as their fire burns. "Depart from me, ye cursed," sounds as harsh in their ears as that which follows, "into everlasting flames."

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

candle--or, "prosperity"; it shall come to an end (Pro 13:9; Pro 20:20).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 20. For there shall be no reward to the evil man] אחרית acharith. There shall not be the future state of blessedness to the wicked. See Clarke on Pr 24:14. His candle shall be put out; his prosperity shall finally cease, or he shall have no posterity. Some have thought that this text intimates the annihilation of sinners; but it refers not to being, but to the state or condition of that being. The wicked shall be; but they shall not be HAPPY.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) For there shall be no reward.—Literally, future, as in Pro_24:15.

The candle of the wicked shall be put out —See above on Pro_13:9.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. reward] See Pro_24:14, and Pro_23:18, note.

candle] Rather, lamp, R.V. Comp. Pro_13:9, Pro_20:20. The lamp going out accords with the “no reward,” or “future” of the preceding clause.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

My son, fear thou the Lord, and the king,.... First the Lord, and then the king; and such as fear the Lord are generally loyal to their king; the fear of God includes love to him, reverence of him, faith in him, submission to him, and the whole worship of him, inward and outward, attended with holiness of life and conversation: and the king, who is under God, is to be feared also, with a fear suitable to him; he is to be loved and reverenced, to be trusted in and submitted to, in everything consistent with the fear of God and obedience to him; in whatever is not contrary to his laws, commands, and ordinances; see Pe1 2:13;

and meddle not with them that are given to change; in political things; that are for new laws, new forms of government, a new ministry, and a new king; never easy with the government under which they are, but are continually entering into plots, conspiracies, and rebellions, who, instead of fearing God and the king, change the laws and commandments of God and the king, and therefore to be shunned. Some render it, "with rebels"; the Targum and Syriac version, "with fools"; as all such persons are, and should be avoided as scandalous and dangerous: mix not with them, as the word (s) signifies; keep no company, and have no conversation with them, lest you be brought into danger and mischief by them. Or who are given to change in religious things; make innovations in doctrine and practice, always love to hear or say some now thing; turn with every wind, and shift as that does; are tossed about with every wind of doctrine, fickle and inconstant, carried about like meteors in the air, with "divers and strange doctrines"; such as disagree with the perfections of God, the doctrines of Christ and his apostles, the Scriptures of truth, the analogy of faith, anti form of sound words; and so the word here used signifies "divers", and is so rendered Est 3:8; and may design such who hold doctrines and give into practices divers and different from the faith once delivered to the saints, and from the institutions and appointments of Christ; innovations in doctrine and worship ought not to be admitted of; and such who are for introducing them should not be meddled or mixed with; they should not be countenanced and encouraged; they should not be attended upon or given heed unto; have no fellowship, and join not in communion with them. This is interpreted by some of such who repeat (t) their sins after repentance, or who return a second time to their wickedness after they have repented, as Ben Melech observes.

(s) "ne misceas te", Pagninus, Montanus; "ne commisceto te", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, so Michaelis, Schultens. (t) "cum iterantibus", Pagninus, Montanus; "sub iniquitates suas"; so some in Vatablus, Baynus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

No reward - literally, “no future,” no life worthy to be called life, no blessing.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Come. Protestants, "no reward," (Haydock) prosperity, &c., as designated also by the lamp, ver. 14. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

There shall be no reward to the evil man; all his hopes and happiness shall quickly and eternally perish, and he shall have the share in those solid felicities and blessed recompences of a better 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.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. No reward — No future reward, no hereafter. (Stuart.) There shall be no future of blessedness, whether in this world or the next.

Candle — Lamp, a metaphor of prosperity and happiness. Comp. Job_20:5; Job_21:17; Psa_37:2; Pro_13:9. Read, also, Psalms 37, 78, as a commentary on this verse.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For there shall be no reward to the evil man. He has no happy "future" to expect, as Ver. 14; Pro_22:18 (where see note). The candle, etc. (see Pro_13:9, where the clause appears) Septuagint, "For the evil man shall have no posterity, and the torch of the wicked shall be quenched."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

No reward - All his happiness shall quickly and eternally perish. The candle - All their comfort and glory shall cease.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

v. 20. for there shall be no reward to the evil man, he will have no lucky future or end; the candle of the wicked shall be put out, a picture of eventual unhappiness and destruction.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.