But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death.”
- KJV But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
- BSB But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
- NKJV But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”
- NASB “But one who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whoever sins against wisdom harms himself, and all who hate her love death. Rejecting wisdom is self-destruction.
Overview
The chapter closes with a sober warning: to reject wisdom is to wrong one's own soul, and to hate wisdom is, in effect, to love death. The two ways—life through wisdom and death through its rejection—frame the choice set before every hearer. This anticipates the gospel summons to choose life in Christ rather than perish (John 3:36).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Prov 15:32He who refuses correction despises his own soul, but he who listens to reproof gets understanding.
- Prov 1:31Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.
- 1 Cor 16:22If any man doesn’t love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. Come, Lord!
- John 15:23–24He who hates me, hates my Father also.
- Prov 20:2The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion. He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life.
- Prov 12:1Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
- Heb 10:29How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
- Ezek 18:31Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel?
- John 3:19–20This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.
- Prov 5:11–12You will groan at your latter end, when your flesh and your body are consumed,
- Prov 5:22–23The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
- Heb 2:3how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation — which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard;
- Acts 13:46Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
- Ezek 33:11Tell them, As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die, house of Israel?
- Prov 21:6Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 8:36 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.