John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. When a wicked man dieth, [his] expectation shall perish , etc.] His expectation of a longer life, of getting more riches, attaining to more honour, enjoying more pleasure here, and of having happiness hereafter, and of being delivered from wrath to come; he will then find, when he comes to die, that his expectations in this world are vain, and those which respect happiness in another world are ill-grounded; or when he dies, the expectation of others that depended on him, trusted in him, and looked for great things from him, will then be at an end; and the hope of unjust [men] perisheth ; which is as the giving up of the ghost, and expires when a man does; it is only in this life, or however it ceases when that does; he has no hope in his death, as the righteous man has; if he does not live without hope in the world, he has none when he goes out of it, or that will be of any use unto him: moreover, the hope of “unjust” men to oppress and injure others ceases when they die, ( Job 3:17). The word rendered unjust men is by some understood of strength, substance, riches; and so the meaning may be, that such a hope that is placed in strength and riches perishes at death. Jarchi interprets it of children, which are a man’s substance; as if the sense was, that the hope of the children of such persons is then cut off.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7 - When a godly man dies, all his fears vanish; but when a wicked ma dies, his hopes vanish.
Original Hebrew במות4194 אדם120 רשׁע7563 תאבד6 תקוה8615 ותוחלת8431 אונים205 אבדה׃6
