Proverbs 8:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

NIV: But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.'

NASB: But one who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death.'

CSB: but the one who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death."

NLT: But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death.'

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

NKJV: But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”

In this closing verse of Proverbs 8, wisdom warns of the consequences of ignoring her advice (Proverbs 8:1–4, 10–11). Our existence includes one, singular, most important choice: between life and death. It is wise to choose life, but many choose death because they love sin.

The Bible refers to three kinds of death, and each one involves separation. Physical death separates the body from the soul, and Hebrews 9:27 points out that everyone has an appointment with this kind of death. Genesis 5 lists men who lived for a very long time, but each of them, except Enoch, died because "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and "sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" (Romans 5:12).

There is also spiritual death. All unbelievers exist in a state of spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1), which is separation from God in this life. Finally, there is eternal death, which is separation from God throughout eternity. Revelation 20:12–15 describes this separation from God in the lake of fire, calling it "the second death" (Revelation 20:14). It is wise to trust in Jesus and thereby pass from death unto life (1 John 3:14; 5:11–12).

Proverbs 8:32–36 describes wisdom as having existed harmoniously with God before He created the world and everything in it. Now he urges his "sons," who might be students, to pay attention to wisdom, because wisdom blesses those who do so. However, those who reject wisdom receive injuries and death. This fits into the book of Proverbs' heavy use of both symbolism and general-case truth.

In this passage, wisdom is once again imagined as a woman who cries out to be heard (Proverbs 1:20–21). Wisdom extols her own truth and value. Wisdom was part of God's creative power long before even the creation of the universe. The chapter again returns to the many benefits of godly wisdom, before completing those declarations at the start of the next chapter.

Thus far in Proverbs, Solomon has spoken about the virtues of wisdom and the need to acquire it and live by it. He has also warned about the dangers of rejecting wisdom. Chapter 7 ended with a description of a promiscuous woman seducing a foolish young man. Now, in chapter 8, he lets wisdom speak, once again personified as a woman. She speaks about her existence before creation and her gift of life to all who find her. This analogy continues into chapter 9.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.