Proverbs 24:20

Study note

Setting — The passage functions as a concluding warning in a wisdom instruction addressed to a younger listener, immediately following a command against envying evildoers and preceding a directive to fear God and civil authority. The speaker identifies the inevitable termination of the wicked as the reason to abandon jealousy.

The words — אַחֲרִית לָ/רָ֑ע ('a.cha.Rit la./Ra') literally translates to "a future to the evil," while יִדְעָֽךְ (yid.'Akh) means "it will be extinguished." The syntax directly links the wicked to a non-existent future and a lamp that goes out.

The thread — The extinguished lamp motif recurs in Proverbs 13:9, Job 18:5, and Job 21:17. Each text applies the image to the sudden collapse of the wicked's influence and prospects.

Why it lands — The text states that the wicked possess no lasting future and their light will be put out. It requires the reader to accept this fixed outcome as grounds for ceasing envy and aligning with righteous conduct.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.