Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsProverbs 24

Seven times shall the just fall.

^[1] A just man, that is to say, God's true servant, free from mortal sin, is subject during this life to many tentations, imperfections, and many often fall into venial sins, and not lose justice, nor the true title of a just man (as here he is called) nor become the devil's servant, nor God's enemy: but through God's grace helping his weakness, he riseth again from small sins, still persevering in God's favour: whereas contrarywise the impious falleth into evil, to wit, into more and more sin, through malice, and lack of grace, & riseth not so easily. And therefore the wiseman here admonisheth, not to lie in wait, nor calumniously to seek impiety in the house (that is, in the soul) of the just. ^[2] For though he commit some faults, yet he riseth again, and is not impious, unjust, nor guilty of mortal crime, as the wicked man is.

• 1 A just man falling into venial sins is not thereby unjust, nor God's enemy.
• 2 All sins are not mortal.