the righteous. righteous ones.
in authority. increase, not necessarily in numbers, but in greatness. Compare Proverbs 29:16, and see note on Proverbs 4:10, and the next clause.
the wicked. a lawless one. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44.
beareth rule. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read the plural here: "bear rule".