Charles Ellicott Commentary Proverbs 13:9

"The light of the righteous rejoiceth; But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out." — Proverbs 13:9 (ASV)

The light of the righteous rejoices—that is, burns joyously, as the sun rejoiceth as a giant to run his course (Psalms 19:5). A distinction may be drawn between the “light” of the righteous and “lamp” of the wicked. The one walks in the “light” of God’s truth, and so his path becomes continually more plain (see above on Proverbs 6:23); the other walks by the glimmer of his own “lamp,” the fire and sparks of his own kindling (Isaiah 50:11), the fancies of his own devising, and so his end is darkness. But this distinction is not always observed (compare Job 18:5-6, where “light” and “lamp” are both applied to the wicked).