Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed
The word of God. Either Christ, the essential Word; which must be
a great evil, considering the dignity of his person; great
ingratitude, considering the grace of his office; very dangerous,
considering what a quick, sharp, and powerful Word he is: and
such may be said to despise him who despise his ministers, and
the Gospel preached by them; and which may be meant by the word,
that being the word of God and of truth, the word of
righteousness, peace, life, and salvation; and is to them that
perish foolishness; and to whom it is so, they shall perish, and
be punished with everlasting destruction, for their contempt of
it, and disobedience to it. Or the written word may be meant, the
Scriptures, which are given by inspiration of God, and therefore
ought to be had in the greatest reverence; and yet are greatly
slighted and despised by the man of sin and his followers; who
set up and prefer their unwritten traditions to them, and so make
them of none effect: such are all false teachers, that despise or
abuse them, they bring destruction to themselves; for so the
words may be rendered, "shall bring destruction to himself", or
shall receive detriment from it: so the Targum, from the word
itself; the Syriac version, "by it"; and the Arabic version, "by
the commandment itself"; by the threatenings in it, and according
to them: or, "because of it"; because of the contempt of it;
but he that feareth the commandment;
receives the word with reverence, trembles at it; fears God, and
keeps his commandments, and fears to break them: he shall
be rewarded;
with good, as the Targum adds; for in keeping the commandments of
God there is great reward: or, "shall enjoy peace", or "be in
safety" F11; for great peace have they which
love the law of God, and serve it: or, "shall be sound, [and] in
health" F12; when those that despise it "shall
be corrupted" F13; as the word in the preceding
clause may be rendered.