Ezekiel 27:31
And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
Original Language Analysis
שַׂקִּ֑ים
them with sackcloth
H8242
שַׂקִּ֑ים
them with sackcloth
Strong's:
H8242
Word #:
5 of 11
properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run through), i.e., coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grai
מָֽר׃
and bitter
H4751
מָֽר׃
and bitter
Strong's:
H4751
Word #:
8 of 11
bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly
Cross References
Isaiah 22:12And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:Ezekiel 7:18They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.Isaiah 16:9Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.Isaiah 15:2He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.Isaiah 22:4Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
Historical Context
Archaeological excavations at ancient sites show mourning customs: burial jars containing ashes, figurines depicting mourners with raised hands, texts describing professional mourners and elaborate funeral rites. In Phoenician culture, mourning rituals for national catastrophes were intense, public, and extended. Ezekiel's description matches historical records of ancient Mediterranean mourning practices.
Questions for Reflection
- What is the difference between mourning consequences and mourning sin itself?
- How does worldly grief differ from godly grief that leads to repentance?
- When have you mourned lost opportunities without addressing underlying spiritual issues?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
And they shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes—Ancient Near Eastern mourning rituals: וְהֶעֱלוּ עָפָר עַל־רָאשֵׁיהֶם (wĕheʿĕlû ʿāphār ʿal-rāshêhem, 'cast up dust upon their heads') and בָּאֵפֶר יִתְפַּלָּשׁוּ (bāʾēpher yitpallāshû, 'in ashes they shall wallow'). The verb פָּלַשׁ (pālash, 'to roll/wallow') suggests desperate, unrestrained grief.
And they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing—The repetition of מָר (mār, 'bitter') intensifies the description: מַר־נֶפֶשׁ (mar-nephesh, 'bitter of soul') and מִסְפֵּד מָר (mispēd mār, 'bitter lamentation'). This is not polite mourning but visceral anguish. Yet their grief is selfish—they mourn lost profits, not lost souls; commercial opportunity, not covenant relationship. This contrasts sharply with godly grief over sin (2 Corinthians 7:10). Their 'bitter wailing' reveals the emptiness of lamenting judgment while remaining unchanged by it.