תהלים, פרק ז׳, פסוק י״ז

The moral principle of measure for measure ensures that the wicked ultimately fall into the very traps they set for others. Punishment does not always require an outside force to intervene. Instead, the evil and injustice committed by a sinner naturally recoil and strike back at him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The harm, deceit, or damage that a person meticulously plans against someone else becomes the exact instrument of his own downfall [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מאירי]. The acts of robbery and injustice return to strike the sinner directly on the center of the head, right where the hair parts [מצודת ציון]. This justice is not a random occurrence; rather, the punishment descends directly from heaven upon the sinner [אבן עזרא, מאירי].

The dual nature of this punishment striking the head can be understood in a few ways. The primary approach among commentators is that the repetition emphasizes the continuous and lasting nature of the penalty [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Another perspective views this duality as a reflection of the different stages of the sin itself. The inner part of the head, the brain, represents the initial thought and early planning of the bad deed, while the outer crown represents the evil that was actually carried out [מלבי״ם].

The scope of this justice can also extend beyond the individual. While the initial strike signifies that the sinner himself will lose his life for his actions, the subsequent blow to the crown hints at a consequence for his descendants. Rooted in an ancient concept that a person's seed originates in the brain, the impact of the punishment ultimately reaches the sinner's children as well [אלשיך].