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To...From

             Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:6)

When I’ve read this verse in the past, I’ve read it without really considering it. This morning as I was looking for a verse to blog about, I realized this one may not say what I assumed it said. My typical reading of this is that those who are righteous get blessed, visibly and greatly blessed. That made sense until I read the second half of the verse. If the blessings that crown the head of the righteous are rewards placed there, then would not the violence that overwhelms the mouth of the wicked also be placed there – shoved down the throat of the wicked? “To…to”  would be the true parallel.

That does not feel right. We expect the violence that overwhelms the mouth of the wicked to come from the wicked. The true parallel then would be that the blessings that crown the head of the righteous are blessings that come from the righteous.  “From…from.” How often do we consider what someone has received as jewels in a crown? If we do, are we more likely to want to have those jewels or to be like that person? Putting it another way, do we admire the person or the prize? However, those who give blessings have been called “princes/princesses among men.” We may not want to do what they do, but chances are good that we admire them. 

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