Proverbs 8:36

But he that sinneth against me,.... Or misses the mark, as the word (b) signifies; and which is observed by Aben Ezra; see Jude 20:16.

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

He that sinneth against me, by the neglect or contempt of or rebellion against my commands, wrongeth his own soul; is guilty of self-murder and of soul-murder. They that hate me, i.e. who reject and disobey my counsels, and live wickedly, which in God’ s account is a hating of him, as is here implied and elsewhere, as 32:41. Love death; not directly or intentionally, but by consequence, because they love those practices which they know will bring certain destruction upon them.

Proverbs 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.Ver. 36. Wrongeth his own soul.] Rapit animam suam. He plunders his own soul of its happiness; yea, he cruelly cuts the throat thereof, being ambitious of his own destruction.

(36) He that sinneth against me.—Rather, He that misses me does not find me. So in Greek, sin (ἁμαρτία) is a “missing” of the true object of life.

Verse 36. Wrongeth his own soul] It is not Satan, it is not sin, properly speaking, that hurts him; it is himself. If he received the teaching of God, sin would have no dominion over him; if he resisted the devil, the devil would flee from him. Love death.] They do it in effect, if not in fact; for as they love sin, that leads to death, so they may be justly said to love death, the wages of sin. He that works in this case, works for wages; and he must love the wages, seeing he labours so hard in the work. I HAVE gone through this fine chapter, and given the best exposition of it in my power. I have also, as well as others, weighed every word, and closely examined their radical import, their connection among themselves, and the connection of the subject of the chapter with what has gone before, and with what follows after; and I cannot come, conscientiously, to any other interpretation than that which I have given. I am thoroughly satisfied that it speaks not one word either about the Divine or human nature of Christ, much less of any eternal filiation of his Divinity. And I am fully persuaded, had there not been a preconceived creed, no soul of man, by fair criticism, would have ever found out that fond opinion of the eternal sonship of the Divine nature, which so many commentators persuade us they find here. That it has been thus applied in early ages, as well as in modern times, I am sufficiently aware; and that many other portions of the Divine records have been appealed to, in order to support a particular opinion, and many that were false in themselves, must be known to those who are acquainted with the fathers. But many quote them who know nothing of them. As to the fathers in general, they were not all agreed on this subject, some supposing Christ, others the Holy Spirit, was meant in this chapter. But of these we may safely state, that there is not a truth in the most orthodox creed, that cannot be proved by their authority, nor a heresy that has disgraced the Romish Church, that may not challenge them as its abettors. In points of doctrine, their authority is, with me, nothing. The WORD of GOD alone contains my creed. On a number of points I can go to the Greek and Latin fathers of the Church, to know what they believed, and what the people of their respective communions believed; but after all this I must return to God's word, to know what he would have ME to believe. No part of a Protestant creed stands on the decision of fathers and councils. By appealing to the Bible alone, as the only rule for the faith and practice of Christians, they confounded and defeated their papistical adversaries, who could not prove their doctrines but by fathers and councils.

36. sinneth against] Or, “misseth,” R.V. marg. The Heb. word here used means primarily to miss the mark (as, for example, a slinger, Judges 20:16). Then it is used commonly for missing the mark, or erring from the way, morally, i.e. sinning. Comp. the use of ἁιμαρτάνω in Greek.

35, 36. That sinneth against me — ηωׂ ?ΰι, misses me, taking the word in its primitive sense, which best suits the context, as it stands opposed to those finding or meeting her in the preceding verse.