John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together; The end of the wicked shall be cut off." — Psalms 37:38 (ASV)
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together
This is to be understood of obstinate and continued transgressors, who live and die in their transgressions; see (Proverbs 11:3) ; otherwise all men are transgressors in Adam, and sinned and fell with him in his transgression; and are justly called transgressors from the womb; and are guilty of actual transgressions, nor are any clear from them; and are arraigned, convinced, and judged by the law as transgressors; and for many of these Christ died, and makes intercession; and who are converted, and turned from their transgressions; and these are pardoned, and saved, and not destroyed.
but stubborn and perverse transgressors are destroyed; not only with a temporal destruction of their substance, and of their names, and they themselves are rooted out of the earth; but with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power;
for this seems to refer to the day of judgment, when all the wicked will be "together"; and shall in a body stand at Christ's left hand, and be bid to go, "you cursed into everlasting fire", (Matthew 25:41) , and shall be turned into hell at once, and together;
the end of the wicked shall be cut off ;
meaning either their posterity, as the word is rendered in (Psalms 109:13) ; or their hope and expectation of good things here and hereafter; when the righteous man receives the end of his faith, hope, and expectation, even the salvation of his soul; but these shall be disappointed and frustrated of their end; see (Proverbs 23:18) ; or their last end is cutting off from the presence and sight of God, utter ruin and destruction; and so it stands opposed to the end of the perfect and upright man, which is eternal peace and happiness.