Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Parallel translations
- WEB Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
- KJV Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
- NKJV Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
- NASB Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- NLT The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Blessings rest on the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. The righteous receive blessing; the wicked are marked by harm.
Overview
A contrast is drawn between the blessing that crowns the righteous and the violence that characterizes and overtakes the wicked. The 'mouth' of the wicked points to speech as a source and sign of their corruption. The verse reflects the broad biblical pattern that righteousness leads to blessing while wickedness reaps trouble (Galatians 6:7-8).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Deut 28:2And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:
- Prov 28:20A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
- Prov 24:25but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
- Prov 10:11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- Job 29:13The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
- Prov 11:26The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
- Esth 7:8Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
- Ps 107:42The upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
- Rom 3:19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- 2 Tim 1:16–18May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 10:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.