כִּ֤י חַטַּאת־קֶ֙סֶם֙ מֶ֔רִי וְאָ֥וֶן וּתְרָפִ֖ים הַפְצַ֑ר יַ֗עַן מָאַ֙סְתָּ֙ אֶת־דְּבַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וַיִּמְאָסְךָ֖ מִמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (ס)
װאָרום זינד פֿון כּישוף איז װידערשפּעניקײט, און געצנדינסט און תּרפֿים איז אײַנגעשפּאַרט זײַן. װײַל דו האָסט פֿאַראַכט דאָס װאָרט פֿון גאָט, אַזױ האָט ער דיך פֿאַראַכט פֿון צו זײַן אַ מלך.
Rav Hirsch
Jeder Subjektivismus ist Heidentum und Götzentum, ist der Wahn, nach eigenem subjektiven Belieben einen bannenden Einfluss auf die Gestaltungen der Zukunft, das ist ja eben, auf den Willen der Gottheit üben zu können, ist Gleichstellung, ja Entgegenstellung des Ichs dem göttlichen Willen. Das hat schon das alte Wort Samuels an Saul ausgesprochen: "— — — siehe, gehorchen ist mehr als gutes Opfer, aufmerken mehr als Fett von Widdern; denn Zaubereisünde ist Ungehorsam, Eigenmacht und Orakelwerk jedes eigenwillige Vorgehen!" (Sam. I. 15, 22-23.)
Sforno
גדול עוני מנשוא, after Kayin finally realised how G’d in Heaven supervises every detail which goes on down on earth, he was convinced that G’d must know that his sole motivation in doing repentance was to escape punishment. Even this type of repentance was wrung from him only after G’d had pressured him to display penitence. He was embittered, and this is what prompted him to exclaim that the severity of his sin was such there was no hope to obtain forgiveness which would protect him against retribution in kind. The matter is similar to Saul’s failure in killing Agag, King of Amalek. Saul had said to Samuel: “I have sinned,” only after Samuel had insisted that he make a confession of having failed to carry out G’d’s instructions. (Samuel I 15,24) Samuel had had to tell Saul that G’d had despised him as a future leader of the Jewish people before he could prevail on Saul to acknowledge his wrongdoing. (Samuel I 15,24)