Proverbs 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
The just man “falleth” refers to one who falls short (but not by the practice of sin), and it uses the Qal Imperfect stem to denote that the action of “falleth” is part of a whole event or situation, i.e., it is not a fall that will cause him to lose his soul. This is why he “riseth up again” because he falls short seven times (an “indefinite” number of times) as he presses toward the ultimate goal — the judgment seat of Christ. He recovers, that is, he overcomes these falls — is strengthened and commanded by the Lord’s providential care to get up and continue to move forward.
Remember, the just man does not practice sin…that’s why he is a just man. He hates iniquity (sin), but loves righteousness, (Hebrews 1:9). He is taught by the word of God and increases to learn, (Proverbs 16:21). He finds joy and delight in the law of the Lord … after the inward man (Psalm 1:2; Romans 7:22).
However, when the wicked fall they are overthrown — they are naturally and morally evil — the mischiefs they fall into are calamities, failures, and miseries which costs them their souls. The wicked fall into the evil traps they set against the righteous; they fall into failure and ruin …and… because they strive to spoil the place of rest for the righteous — they will not recover when they fall.
Big … Huge difference!