8:36

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

36a But he who fails to find me harms himself ;

36b
all who hate me love death.

8:36a–b

harms himself…love death: These parallel phrases express the consequences of not finding and hating Wisdom. No contrast is intended between these two ideas. The second phrase is a poetic intensification of the first phrase. In some languages, this intensification may be expressed by saying:

…harms himself. In fact, all such people who hate me desire to die.

8:36a

But: Verse 8:36a also contrasts with 8:35a, so it is introduced with the word But. Some English versions leave this word implied. For example:

Those who do not find me (Good News Translation)

You should introduce this contrast in a natural way in your language.

he who fails to find me harms himself: The clause he who fails to find me is parallel to “all who hate me” in 8:36b. It refers to a person who refuses to search for Wisdom. It does not imply that the person is actually looking for Wisdom but cannot find her.

8:36b

all who hate me love death: This line contains implied information. It indicates that people who hate or reject Wisdom, the source of life (8:35a), show by their actions that they have chosen a path that leads to death. They do not literally want to die, but they act as if they prefer death to life. In some languages, this implied information may be clear. It may be possible to translate fairly literally. For example:

whoever rejects me desires to die

In other languages, it may be necessary to make some of the implied logic explicit. For example:

All who hate me, ⌊it’s as if they⌋ love death.
-or-
Anyone who rejects me ⌊shows by his actions that he⌋ has chosen to die.

hate: For the verb hate, see the note for 1:22b. To hate Wisdom may also imply rejecting Wisdom.

General Comment on 8:36a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel ideas in this verse. See the Display for 8:36a–b (combined/reordered).

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