The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted - literally, '(God) will grant.' The wicked and the righteous respectively shall receive the reward of their course; the wicked what (through the instinct of conscience) he fears; the righteous what he wishes for (through faith and well-grounded hope, Romans 2:6). Though the wicked "sport" (Proverbs 10:23) in doing mischief, yet soon the feeling of sport flees, and there comes in its place fear, through the stings of conscience. Their fear does not drive them to prayer; so their fear proves to be well grounded, because the apprehended destruction comes upon them. On the other hand, the righteous, having a good conscience through faith, have no continuous fear, but a well-grounded desire and hope: and believing prayer ensures the fulfillment of their desire (Psalms 145:19; 1 John 5:14-15; 1 John 3:22-23).