Proverbs 10:6 - Exposition

Violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. So Proverbs 10:11 . This is usually explained to mean either that the consciousness of his own iniquity silences the sinner when he would speak against the righteous, or his violence and injustice, returning on his own head, are like a bandage over his mouth (Le 13:45; Micah 3:7 ), reducing him to shame and silence. Others, again, consider the signification to be—in default of the good, honest words which should proceed from a man's mouth, the sinner pours forth injustice and wickedness. But it is best (as in Proverbs 10:14 ) to take "mouth" as the subject: "The mouth of the wicked concealeth violence," that he may wait for the opportunity of practising it. The contrast is between the manifest blessedness of the righteous and the secret sinister proceedings of the evil. The Vulgate and Septuagint give, "the blessing of the Lord." For "violence" the Septuagint has πένθος ἄωρον , "untimely grief;" the Hebrew word chamas bearing also the sense of "misery."