Thematic Bible: A symbol of mourning


Thematic Bible



And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on, crying.

And Mordecai understood all that was done, and Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes and went out into the middle of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry.

And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping and wailing. And many lay in sackcloth and ashes.


Wail, O Heshbon; Ai is spoiled! Cry, daughters of Rabbah; clothe yourselves with sackcloth, mourn, and run to and fro by the hedges! For their king shall go into exile; his priests and his rulers together.

The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground and are silent; they send up dust on their heads; they gird on sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.


They shall also gird on sackcloth, and trembling shall cover them; and shame shall be on all faces, and baldness on all heads.

O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and wallow in ashes; make mourning for yourself, as for an only son, most bitter weeping; for the ravager shall suddenly come on us.

I have sewed sackcloth on my skin and thrust my horn in the dust.

Put on sackcloth for this, wail and howl; for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned back from us.


And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will save your life. And they bound sackcloth on their loins and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, Your servant Ben-hadad says, Please let me live. And he said, Is he still alive? He is my brother.

In the streets they shall clothe themselves with sackcloth; on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, everyone shall howl, melting in tears.