Contrast the Righteous and the Wicked

Introduction

Proverbs 10:6–11 NASB95

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 7 The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot. 8 The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined. 9 He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out. 10 He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

v.6

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Proverbs 10:6

6 aBlessings are on the head of the righteous,

But bthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Proverbs 10:11

11 The amouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

But bthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs Proverbs 10:6–11

TYPE: INCLUSIO, PARALLEL (10:6–11)

10:6–11 Verses 6 and 11 form an inclusio as indicated by the repetition of the line, “But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”199 Within this inclusio vv. 7–10 are arranged in parallel (ABAB); v. 7 and v. 9 parallel each other (the fate of the righteous versus the fate of the wicked), and v. 8 and v. 10 parallel each other (both contain the line “a chattering fool comes to ruin”). The repetition of two lines in this section, both of which concern the mouth of the wicked, points to the major emphasis of the collection.

Deceitfulness is the mark of the wicked, but the godly are known by the evidence of God’s favor upon them and the salutary effects of their words (vv. 6, 11). Thus the righteous secure their place in the world, whereas a life of deception holds only the promise of detection and disgrace (vv. 7, 9). One would be well advised, therefore, to listen with discernment and “consider the source” when weighing someone’s words (vv. 8, 10).

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (2) Patterns of Wisdom Literature

True parallelism, traditionally called “synonymous parallelism,”50 is a twofold statement of a single idea or concept that employs near-synonymous or related vocabulary in a symmetrical fashion.

Proverbs 10:6 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

Notice this same noun (רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים) in vv. 3, 7, 11.

Proverbs 10:6

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: with Westminster 4.2 Morphology

בְּ֭רָכוֹת לְרֹ֣אשׁ צַדִּ֑יק וּפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים יְכַסֶּ֥ה חָמָֽס׃

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Proverbs 10:11

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: with Westminster 4.2 Morphology

מְק֣וֹר חַ֭יִּים פִּ֣י צַדִּ֑יק וּפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים יְכַסֶּ֥ה חָמָֽס׃

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Proverbs 10:32

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: with Westminster 4.2 Morphology

שִׂפְתֵ֣י צַ֭דִּיק יֵדְע֣וּן רָצ֑וֹן וּפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת׃

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

Proverbs 11:11

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: with Westminster 4.2 Morphology

בְּבִרְכַּ֣ת יְ֭שָׁרִים תָּר֣וּם קָ֑רֶת וּבְפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תֵּהָרֵֽס׃

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

Proverbs 15:28

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: with Westminster 4.2 Morphology

לֵ֣ב צַ֭דִּיק יֶהְגֶּ֣ה לַעֲנ֑וֹת וּפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים יַבִּ֥יעַ רָעֽוֹת׃

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

Proverbs 19:28

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: with Westminster 4.2 Morphology

עֵ֣ד בְּ֭לִיַּעַל יָלִ֣יץ מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּפִ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים יְבַלַּע־אָֽוֶן׃

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update

A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice, And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity. 

Verses 6-11 = inclusio; parallelism

Proverbs 10:6 (NASB95)

6Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Proverbs 10:11 (NASB95)

11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

“It is appropriate here, then, to translate “the mouth of the wicked conceals wrong (hamas, cf. 3:31).” With this, we have an antithetic parallelism. God openly displays His blessing upon the right; in contrast, the wicked covers up wrongdoing.” Steveson, pp.135-146.

v.7

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Proverbs 10:7

7 The amemory of the righteous is blessed,

But bthe name of the wicked will rot.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Psalm 112:4–6

4 Light arises in the darkness afor the upright;

He is bgracious and compassionate and righteous.

5 It is well with the man who ais gracious and lends;

He will 1maintain his cause in judgment.

6 For he will anever be shaken;

The brighteous will be 1remembered forever.

Proverbs 10:7 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

Everyone wants to remember the righteous. No one wants to remember the wicked.

The life of the righteous will be remembered for a long time.

But the very mention of the name of the wicked will rot (in the memory of it, or the mind of the one who remembered it).

“The name of the wicked person, one who acted violently in this life, will decay and vanish over time.” (Steveson).

v.8

Proverbs 10:8 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

Proverbs 10:8 NASB95

8 The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined.

“Wise of heart” = their wisdom is from, or resides in, the heart not the world.

This kind of wisdom is defined by the ability to receive instructions/take commands.

Illustration

Matthew 7:24–27 NASB95

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

1072 לָבַט‎ (lābaṭ) thrust down, out, or away. Occurs only in the Niphal (Hos 4:14; Prov 10:8, 10).1

1 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 467.

v.9

Proverbs 10:9 NASB95

9 He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

Proverbs 3:23–26 NASB95

23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the Lord will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.

Proverbs 4:12–19 NASB95

12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.

Proverbs 28:18 NASB95

18 He who walks blamelessly will be delivered, But he who is crooked will fall all at once.

“integrity” = willfully/purposefully not practicing foolishness or transgressions.

A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament תֹּם

תֹּם: cs. תָּם־, sf. תֻּמּוֹ; pl. תֻּמִּים, sf. תֻּמֶּיךָ: perfection, completeness, &c. see תָּם above:—1. beʿeṣem-tummô in full vigor Jb 21:23;—2. tom-lēbāb integrity of heart = guilelessness, good faith Gn 20:5f, blamelessness, purity of heart 1 K 9:4; > tōm Ps 7:9 & oft.; letummām unsuspectingly 2 S 15:11, letummô unwittingly 1 K 22:34; hālak tōm walk in integrity Pr 2:7 = hālak battōm 10:9 = hithallēk betummô 20:7; tom-derek integrity of way (= conduct) Pr 13:6 = tōm derākîm Jb 4:6.

“perverts” = willfully/purposefully changes directions towards deviant behavior; behavior not in line with wisdom.

A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament עקשׁ

: nif.: pt. cs. נֶעְקַשׁ: w. derākayim: one who walks crooked paths Pr 28:18. †

piel: pf. עִקְּשׁוּ; impf. יְעַקַּֽשׁוּ; inf. עַקֵּשׁ; pt. מְעַקֵּשׁ:—1. distort, pervert Mi 3:9;—2. w. derek, netîbâ: choose crooked paths Is 59:8.

v.10

Proverbs 10:10 NASB95

10 He who winks the eye causes trouble, And a babbling fool will be ruined.

“Antithetic, probably ternary. On winking the eye (or, with the eye) as an expression for stirring up strife by malicious hints see note on 6:12–14. The second cl. reads in the Heb.: and a foolish talker shall fall, apparently repeated from v. 8 (where, however, it is not in place), here offering no antithesis—we expect the mention of something which causes the opposite of trouble. Grk. has He who winks deceitfully with his eyes causes sorrow to men, but he who reproves openly makes peace. This furnishes the desired contrast, but in expanded form; the deceitfully and to men are explanatory additions, and perhaps also the openly (Bickell), though we might read (see 27:5) open reproof makes peace, or he who reproves evil, etc. (cf. 24:25). In any case the suggestion is that frank reproof of wrongdoing will pave the way to repentance and amity. For the word trouble see 15:13; Job 9:28, and cf. the similar term in 10:22; 15:1; ψ 127:2 (sometimes = labor, 5:10; 14:23).”1

1 Crawford Howell Toy, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs, International Critical Commentary (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1899), 204–205.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (3) The Mouth of the Wicked (10:6–11)

Thus the righteous secure their place in the world, whereas a life of deception holds only the promise of detection and disgrace (vv. 7, 9). One would be well advised, therefore, to listen with discernment and “consider the source” when weighing someone’s words (vv. 8, 10).

v.11

Proverbs 10:11 NASB95

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The other “bookend” of this section.

This completes the thought of Solomon and the Holy Spirit.

When a righteous person speaks, there is life there.

Only the wise will recognize it.

“But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” (v 6b).

Commentary on the Old Testament Chapter 10

Thus the mouth of the righteous is here called a fountain of life, because that which he speaks, and as he speaks it, is morally strengthening, intellectually elevating, and inwardly quickening in its effect on the hearers; while, on the contrary, the mouth of the godless covereth wrong (violentiam), i.e., conceals with deceitful words the intention, directed not to that which is best, but to the disadvantage and ruin of his neighbours; so that words which in the one case bring to light a ground of life and of love, and make it effectual, in the other case serve for a covering to an immoral, malevolent background.