Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 10:6
Blessings [are] upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
6. violence covereth &c.] This, which is the rendering both of A.V. and R.V. text, is to be preferred to the rendering of R.V. marg., “ the mouth of the wicked covereth violence,” i.e. in what he says there is a covert purpose of violence, which he endeavours to conceal.
So rendered it may mean either ( a) the violence of the wicked man himself covers his mouth he never opens it without pouring forth violence; and then perhaps we are to complete the parallelism by supplying from the first clause, “you may judge therefore what comes upon his head ”; or ( b) in more obvious parallelism, instead of the blessings which all men pour upon the head of the just, the mouth of the wicked they cover with violence, with reproaches, and it may be with blows (Act 23:2). To this, however, it is objected that the Heb. word always connotes wrongful treatment.
The idea of covering the mouth as a sign of condemnation is farfetched, and it is not borne out by the passages cited in support of it (Est 7:8; Lev 13:45; Eze 24:17; Mic 3:7), in all of which it is the “lip” or the “face,” and not the “mouth” which is covered.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Covereth … – The meaning is perhaps, the violence which the wicked has done is as a bandage over his mouth, reducing him to a silence and shame, like that of the leper Lev 13:45; Mic 3:7 or the condemned criminal Est 7:8, whose face is covered.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.] As blessings shall be on the head of the just, so the violence of the wicked shall cover their face with shame and confusion. Their own violent dealings shall be visited upon them. The mouth forsoth of unpitious men wickidnesse covereth. – Old MS. Bible. “The forehead of the ungodly is past shame, and presumptuous.”-Coverdale.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Blessings are upon the head of the just; all sorts of blessings are wished to them by men, and conferred upon them by God. He saith, upon their head, either to show that these blessings come from above; and that openly, in the sight of the world, so that he can confidently speak of them to Gods praise, and to his own comfort and honour; or because blessings were commonly pronounced by men with this ceremony, by laying their hands upon the head of the party blessed.
Violence covereth the mouth of the wicked; violence (either,
1. Their own violence or injustice, which may be here put for the fruit or punishment of it, as iniquity is oft put for the punishment of iniquity. Or,
2. Violence, or the violent, and injurious, and mischievous practices of others against them, deserved by their own violence committed against others, and inflicted upon them by the curse and righteous judgment of God) shall cover the mouth of the wicked, i.e. shall fall upon them. This phrase of covering their mouth is used, either,
1. With allusion to the ancient custom of covering the mouths and faces of condemned malefactors; of which see Est 7:8; Job 9:24. Or,
2. To signify that the curse and judgment of God upon them should be so manifestly just, that their mouths should be stopped, and they not be able to speak a word against God, or for themselves. Or,
3. To intimate that Gods judgment upon them should be public and evident to all that behold them, as any covering put upon a mans mouth or face is, as for the same reason the blessings of the just were said to be upon their heads. And the mouth may be put for the face or countenance, by a synecdoche. But this clause is otherwise rendered by divers learned interpreters, the mouth of the wicked covereth (i.e. concealeth or smothereth within itself, and doth not utter that) violence or injury, which he meditateth in his heart, and designeth to do to others, and therefore shall be accursed and miserable. But this suits not so well with the former clause, wherein the blessings of the just are not meant actively, of those blessings which they wish or give to others, but passively, of those blessings which others wish or give to them; and consequently this violence is not understood of that which they do to others, but of that which is done to them by others.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Blessingsliterally,”Praises.” The last clause is better: “The mouth ofthe wicked covereth (or concealeth) violence (or mischievousdevices)” to be executed in due time (Psa 5:9;Psa 10:7; Rom 3:14),and hence has no praises (compare Pr10:11).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Blessings [are] upon the head of the just,…. That seeks for righteousness, not by the works of the law, but by faith; that lives by faith upon the righteousness of Christ, and is justified by it, made, accounted, and reckoned just through it; and, in consequence of his faith, does justly, and lives soberly, righteously, and godly: upon his “head”, who is Christ, blessings are; for he is “the head of every [such] man”, 1Co 11:3; not the pope of Rome, but Christ, is head of the church; he is the representative and federal head of all the elect, both in eternity and time; he is a political head to them, as a king is to his subjects; an economical one, as the husband is the head of the wife, a father the head of his family, and a master the head of his servants; and he is in such sense a head to them as a natural head is to its body; he is of the same nature with them, superior to them, a perfect, only, everliving, and everlasting head. Upon him all the blessings of grace and goodness are; his people are blessed with them in him, their head, Eph 1:3; and from him they descend to them, the members of his body, just as the oil on Aaron’s head ran down his beard to the skirts of his garments. So in an ancient writing of the Jews y, this passage being mentioned, it is asked, Who is the head of the righteous? The answer is, the middle pillar; by whom they seem to mean a middle person, the Mediator, the Messiah. Or else, a part being put for the whole, the meaning is, that blessings are upon the persons of righteous ones, as the word is used in Pr 11:26; the Targum renders it,
“the heads of the righteous.”
All covenant blessings, spiritual ones, such as are blessings indeed, solid and substantial, irreversible, and for ever; particularly a justifying righteousness, from whence they are denominated just; pardon of sin, peace of soul, every sanctifying grace, the blessing of adoption, and a right to eternal life: these being said to be on the “head” of them, may denote that they come from above, and descend in a way of grace upon them; that they are visible and manifest; that they reside, continue, and remain upon them; that they are as an ornament and crown unto them; and that they are a security of them that no wrath and vengeance can fall upon them. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, read, “the blessing of the Lord [is] upon the head of the just”; and such are all the blessings before mentioned;
but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked; that is, either his violent dealings are open and manifest, and are a scandal to him, as well as entail a curse on him; or rather the fruit and effect of his violence and oppression, the punishment due thereunto, is so righteously inflicted on him, that his mouth is stopped, and he has not one word to say against the just judgments of God upon him, for his violent usage of men, whether here or hereafter; see Ps 107:42. Some render the words, “the mouth of the wicked covereth violence” z; palliates and excuses it, and calls it by another name; or hides and conceals that which is in the heart, and does not utter it; see
Pr 10:18. The Targum is,
“in the mouth of the wicked rapine is covered;”
as a sweet morsel under their tongue, though in the end bitterness.
y Tikkune Zohar. Correct. 47. fol. 87. 2. z “os impiorum operiet injuriam”, Montanus, Baynus; “operit iniquitem”, Vatablus, Mercerus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
There now follow two proverbs regarding the blessings and the curses which come to men, and which flow forth from them. Here, however, as throughout, we take each proverb by itself, that it might not appear as if we had a tetrastich before us. The first of these two antithetic distichs is:
Blessings (come) on the head of the just;
But violence covereth the mouth of the godless.
Blessings are, without being distinguished, bestowed as well as prayed for from above. Regarding the undistinguished uses of (of a recompense of reward), (of penal recompense), and (especially of punishment), vid., under Gen 49:26. If we understand, with Ewald, Bertheau, Elster, Zckler, and others, the two lines after Pro 10:11, Pro 19:28, cf. Pro 10:18: the mouth of the wicked covers (hides under a mask) violence, inasmuch as he speaks words of blessing while thoughts of malediction lurk behind them (Psa 62:5), then we renounce the sharpness of the contrast. On the contrary, it is preserved if we interpret as object: the violence that has gone out from it covereth the mouth of the wicked, i.e., it falls back upon his foul mouth; or as Fleischer (and Oetinger almost the same) paraphrases it: the deeds of violence that have gone forth from them are given back to them in curses and maledictions, so that going back they stop, as it were, their mouth, they bring them to silence; for it is unnecessary to take synecdochically for (cf. e.g., Psa 69:8), since in 6a are perhaps chiefly meant blessings of thankful acknowledgment on the part of men, and the giving prominence to the mouth of the wicked from which nothing good proceeds is well accounted for. The parallels do not hinder us thus to explain, since parts of proverbs repeating themselves in the Book of Proverbs often show a change of the meaning ( vid., p. 24f.). Hitzig’s conjecture, (better ), is unnecessary; for elsewhere we read, as here, that (violence), jure talionis , covers, , the wicked, Hab 2:17, or that he, using “violence,” therewith covers the whole of his external appearance, i.e., gives to it the branded impress of the unrighteousness he has done ( vid., Khler under Mal 2:16).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Here is, 1. The head of the just crowned with blessings, with the blessings both of God and man. Variety of blessings, abundance of blessings, shall descend from above, and visibly abide on the head of good men, real blessings; they shall not only be spoken well of, but done well to. Blessings shall be on their head as a coronet to adorn and dignify them and as a helmet to protect and secure them. 2. The mouth of the wicked covered with violence. Their mouths shall be stopped with shame for the violence which they have done; they shall not have a word to say in excuse for themselves (Job v. 16); their breath shall be stopped with the violence that shall be done to them, when their violent dealings shall return on their heads, shall be returned to their teeth.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The Just and the Wicked
(Pro 10:5-7)
Verses 6 and 7 declare blessings for the just (upright). These blessings are from the LORD (Vs. 22) and may, to some extent, have been asked for by grateful neighbors (compare Pro 11:26; Job 29:12-13). Even the memory of these just ones is treasured, Vs. 7; Pro 22:1; Psa 112:6.
Verses 6 and 7 also present the wicked in sad contrast. In life, violence or evil is reflected in their face and speech. Their shame will live on after they are gone (Psa 9:16), as is seen in the remembrance of the names of Cain, Balaam, Jezebel, Herod, Judas, etc. Jud 1:11; 2Ki 10:30-36; Act 12:21-23; Mat 27:3-5; Mat 12:35-36.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Pro. 10:6-7; Pro. 10:11
THE WAY TO PRESENT BLESSEDNESS AND FUTURE FAME
We connect the first and last of these verses, because the latter clause in both is the same.
I. Opposite characters revealed by a great contrast in speech (Pro. 10:11). When a righteous man opens his mouth, it is as if the cover was removed from a pure, clear well of water. He has no evil intentions to conceal: his words are an index to his heart. By them men may read his thoughts with the same ease as they can see what is at the bottom of a clear spring of water. There is medicinal virtue in themthey heal as well as refresh the spirits of men. What a well of life have the words of Christ been for centuries to millions of the human race. But a wicked man cannot let all the thoughts of his heart be laid open to the light of day. His mouth conceals injury (see Critical Notes). He has plans which are not devised for the good of his fellow-creatures, and he must use his words not to reveal, but to hide what is in his mind. And if he lets his tongue loose, and permits his thoughts to flow out into words, they do not bless his hearers, but are like a poisonous stream, carrying moral death wherever they flow.
II. Character yields a present blessing or a present curse. Blessings are upon the head of the righteous, etc. A mans present comfort within himself, and the inheritance of good-will he now receives from his fellow-men, as well as the favour of God, are all dependent upon what he is in his character. The kingdom of heaven is now inherited by him. All the beatitudes uttered by our Lord speak of a present blessedness. Blessed are the poor in spirit, etc. The opposite truth is not expressed, but it is implied. Curses, not blessings, are the present inheritance of the man whose mouth is covered by violence.
III. Character determines the nature of our future fame (Pro. 10:7).
1. The memory of the righteous is blessed, because what they did upon the earth is the means of bringing blessings upon others after they are gone. Many a son has received kindness for the sake of the righteousness of his father. God blesses the children for the fathers sake. I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servants sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes (1Ki. 11:34). Fear not, said God to Isaac, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abrahams sake (Gen. 26:24). Cyrus was raised up to deliver Israel for Jacobs sake (Isa. 45:4). Men can but bless the memory of those whose past godliness is the means of bringing blessings upon them in the present.
2. The just mans memory is blessed because he leaves behind him reproductions of his own character. All life will reproduce itself. After a tree has decayed and gone to dust, others will be in full life and vigour that were seedlings of the old tree. Intellectual life is reproductive. The man of mighty genius leaves disciples to carry out his ideas after he is gone. Good men are the parents of good children, or make other men good by their words and lives. They that dwell under his shadow shall return, and they shall grow as the vine (Hos. 14:7). The good must be held in blessed remembrance so long as there are those upon earth who are the reproductions of their character.
3. The memory of some is blessed because they did deeds which never can be reproduced by otherswhich have left a fragrance behind them which can never be repeated. The one act of Abraham, when he prepared to offer up Isaac at Gods command, can never be repeated; but is the one which, above all his other acts of faith, causes him to be held in everlasting remembrance. And so it has been with many of the leaders of the Church in all ages. They have performed acts of godly heroism which we cannot imitate, but of which we reap the reward, and for which we bless their memory. Especially is this true of Him who is pre-eminently the Holy One and the Just, whose glorious name is blessed for ever (Psa. 72:19), because He endured the cross and despised the shame. But the converse of all this is the lot of the wicked. We can but remember them when we are brought face to face with the evil they have left behind them; but we turn from the remembrance as we turn from some offensive putrid object, while the memory of the just is as a sweet savour. Contrast the feelings with which Christendom now regards the emperors of Rome and the fishermen of Galilee.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 10:6. Not one, but many blessings are on the head of the righteous: the blessing of peace, the blessing of plenty, the blessing of health, and the blessing of grace, shall be upon them. The precious ointment of the Lords favour or blessing shall so be poured upon their heads as that it shall not here stay, but run down to the rest of the members of their bodies, and enter into their very hearts.Muffet.
Blessings: not simply good things, but good things bestowed by another; not simply good things bestowed by another, but divinely bestowed as sacred benedictions. Blessings are for the righteous exclusively; that is, for no one else. For the head; not the mouth, not the hand; because often without eithers agency. On his head; because unconsciously, and sometimes even when asleep.Miller.
Pro. 10:7. The memory of the just is blessed
(1) because of his winning friendship;
(2) because of his unfeigned piety;
(3) because of his steadfast patience;
(4) because of his noble, public-spirited activity.Ziegler, from Langes Commentary.
And what signifies an empty name? It brings honour to God, and prolongs the influence of his good example who has left it. His good works not only follow him, but live behind him. As Jeroboam made Israel to sin after he was dead, so the good man helps to make others holy whilst he is lying in the grave. Should it so happen that his character is mistaken in the world, or should his name die out among men, it shall yet be had in everlasting remembrance before God; for never shall those names be erased from the Lambs book of life, which were written in it from the foundation of the world.Lawson.
Not what he remembers, but what is remembered of him. He blesses after he is dead. So does the wicked, but, like most other growths in nature, by his decay. Name; that which is known of a man. The name of God is that which may be known of God. The memory of the righteous, viz., of the Church of God, is that which propagates her, and causes her to hand down her strength. Our walk about Zion, our telling her towers, our marking her bulwarks, is for this grand aim, among the rest, that we may tell to the generation following (Psa. 48:12-13).Miller.
I. The memory of the just is blessed, self-evidently so, for the mind blesses it and reverts to it with complacency, mingled with solemnity,returns to it with delight from the sight of the living evil in the world, sometimes even prefers this silent society to the living good. They show in a most evident and pleasing manner the gracious connection which God has constantly maintained with a sinful world. His uninterrupted connection with it by justice and sovereign power has been manifest in mighty evidence: but His saints have been the peculiar illustration of His grace, His mercy, acting on this world. II. It is so, when we consider them as practical illustrations, verifying examples of the exellence of genuine religion; that it is a noble thing in human nature, and makes, and alone makes, that nature noble;that, whatever scoffers may say, or the vain world pretend to disbelieve, here is what has made such men as nothing else, under heaven, could or can. III. Their memory is blessed while we regard them as diminishing to our view the repulsiveness and horror of death. Our Lords dying was the fact that threw out the mightiest agency to this effect. But, in their measure, His faithful disciples have done the same. When we contemplate them as having prepared for it with a calm resolutionas having approached itmultitudes with a calm resignation and fortitude, and very many with an animated exultation;as having passed it, and emerged in brightness beyond its gloomthey seem to shine back through the gloom, and make the shade less thick. IV. It is blessed, also, as combined with the whole progress of God upon the earth,with its living agency throughout every stage. He has never, and nowhere, had a visible cause in the world, without putting men in trust with it. Think of what men have been employed and empowered to do in the propagation of truth, in the incessant warfare against evil, in the exemplification of all the virtues by which he could be honoured.John Foster.
Pro. 10:11. A Church is but a body of righteous men. What would the world do without the Church? The influences of a Church, and that a land is ruined without a Church, and that one generation hands on the worship of God to another, all are illustrations on a grand scale of how the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. A good man will constantly be doing good to others. But wrong covers the mouth of the wicked, so that he can give no blessing; so keeps him from any possible usefulness, that he cannot utter good, or make his mouth, as the righteous can, a fountain of life to all about him.Miller.
In a hot summers day I was sailing with a friend in a tiny boat on a miniature lake, enclosed like a cup within a circle of steep, bare Scottish hills. On the shoulders of the brown, sun-burnt mountain, and full in sight, was a well, with a crystal stream trickling over its lip, and making its way down towards the lake. Around the wells mouth, and along the course of the rivulet, a belt of green stood out in strong contrast with the iron surface of the rock all around. What do you make of that? said my friend, who had both an open eye to read the book of Nature and a heart all aglow with its lessons of love. We soon agreed as to what should be made of it. It did not need us to make it into anything. There it was, a legend clearly printed by the finger of God on the side of these silent hills, teaching the passer-by how needful a good man is, and how useful he may be in a desert world. The Lord looks down, and men look up, expecting to see a fringe of living green around the lip of a Christians life-course.Arnot.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(6) Violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.Curses and deeds of violence have proceeded from his mouth, but God frustrates them, they return unto him void (Isa. 55:11), and, as it were, stop his mouth, reducing him to silence.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Blessings , ( berakhoth,) the plural of intensity, abundant blessings, blessings from God and man.
But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked By “violence” is probably meant the effect of the man’s own violence; which shall return upon him in curses; in parallelism with the “blessings” of the first number. “Mouth” is possibly put by metonymy for face. There is some difficulty in adjusting the parallelism. Stuart renders, The mouth of the wicked concealeth injury; that is, the injury he meditates. The form of the words would allow this; but it does not make a good counterpart to the preceding member. The Septuagint has for , ( hhamas,) violence, , penthos aoron, an untimely mourning; but seems, like Stuart and others, to have taken hhamas in the predicate. Taken in the subject, it makes a good antithesis. Translation: Benediction (shall be) on the head of the just; but an untimely mourning (or burial) shall cover the mouth (face) of the wicked. Comp. Pro 10:11; also, on latter clause, Lev 13:45; Psa 44:15; Psa 107:42; Mic 7:10; Est 7:8. Covering of the face, as in the case of Haman, was a sign of being devoted to death.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Mind of Man – Pro 10:6-7 deal with character of a person. It is through the soul, which is made up of the mind, the will and the emotions, that the character of a man is expressed. We see the blessings and honour that come from a noble character, and the curses of the wicked (Pro 10:6). The young man sees that there is a greater meaning to life beyond material prosperity, and that is a good name. The name of a person represents his character. This good name comes only to those of a noble character.
Pro 10:6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Pro 10:6
Pro 10:7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Pro 10:7
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
v. 6. Blessings are upon the head of the just,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 10:6. But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked But his own cruel violence shall cover the mouth of the wicked. That is, “The curses, imprecations, and other violence which the wicked vomit forth, shall redound upon their own mouth, and shall overwhelm them with all confusion.” See Pro 10:11. Schultens. Houbigant renders it, Contempt shall cover the face of the wicked.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pro 10:6 Blessings [are] upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Ver. 6. Blessings are upon the head. ] Plentifully and conspicuously; they shall abound with blessings. Pro 28:20 As the fear of the Lord is not only in them, but upon them, 2Ch 19:7 so blessings of all sorts, a confluence of all spiritual and temporal comforts and contentments, shall be not only with them, but upon them, so that nothing shall hinder it. See Gal 6:16 . They are blessed, and they shall be blessed, Gen 27:33 neither shall any roaring or repining Esau be able to reverse it.
But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Blessings: not simply good things, but good things bestowed by another.
head. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), App-6, for the whole person.
the just = a just one.
violence, &c.: or, the mouth of lawless ones conceal violence.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 10:6
Pro 10:6
“Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.”
Cook points out that an example of violence covering the mouth of the wicked is found in Est 7:8, where it is mentioned that they covered the face of Haman. It was an ancient custom to cover the faces of men condemned to death.
Pro 10:6. Clarke comments: As blessings shall be on the head of the just, so the violence of the wicked shall cover their face with shame and confusion. Their own violent dealings shall be visited upon them. Pro 10:11 talks again of violence covering the mouth of the wicked.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Blessings: Pro 11:26, Pro 24:25, Pro 28:20, Deu 28:2, Job 29:13, 2Ti 1:16-18
violence: Pro 10:11, Est 7:8, Psa 107:42, Rom 3:19
Reciprocal: Gen 7:1 – thee Psa 140:9 – let the mischief Pro 21:7 – robbery
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 10:6. Blessings are upon the head of the just All sorts of blessings are wished to them by men, and conferred upon them by God. But violence Either, 1st, The fruit or punishment of their own violence: or, 2d, The violent, injurious, and mischievous practices of others against them, deserved by their own violence committed against others, and inflicted upon them by the righteous judgment of God; covereth the mouth of the wicked That is, shall fall upon them. This phrase of covering the mouth, may be an allusion to the ancient custom of covering the faces of condemned malefactors.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
10:6 Blessings [are] upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of {c} the wicked.
(c) When their wickedness is discovered, they will be as dumb and not know what to say.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The righteous receive blessings from God and other people. The wicked, on the other hand, conceal violence within themselves, and sorrow will cover their faces.