'Mourn' in the Bible

Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

that the daughters of Israel went yearly to tell the story of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.

Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar; your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul will grieve, and all those born in your house will die as men [in the prime of life].

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve for Saul, when I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.”

Then David said to Joab and to all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier.

Then the prophet picked up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came into the city (Bethel) of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him.

All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to [be placed in] the grave, because in him there was found something good and pleasing toward the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the Law.

So that He sets on high those who are lowly,And He lifts to safety those who mourn.

“But his body [lamenting its decay] grieves in pain over it,And his soul mourns over [the loss of] himself.”

And you will groan when your life is ending,When your flesh and your body are consumed;

A time to weep and a time to laugh;A time to mourn and a time to dance.

And Jerusalem’s gates will lament (cry out in grief) and mourn [as those who wail for the dead];And she, being ruined and desolate, will sit upon the ground.

Therefore Moab will wail for Moab; everyone will wail.You will mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth,As those who are utterly stricken and discouraged.

The fishermen will lament (cry out in grief),And all those who cast a hook into the Nile will mourn,And those who spread nets upon the waters will languish.

The earth dries up and crumbles away, the world dries out and crumbles away, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away.

“I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him;I will lead him [also] and will restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him,

To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord,And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,To comfort all who mourn,

To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],The oil of joy instead of mourning,The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her;Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her,

“For this reason the earth shall mournAnd the heavens above shall become dark,Because I have spoken, I have decided,And I will not change my mind (relent), nor will I turn back from it.”

How long must the land mournAnd the grass of the countryside wither?Because of the wickedness and hypocrisy of those who live in it,The beasts and the birds are consumed and are swept away [by the drought],Because men [mocking me] have said, “He will not [live long enough to] see [what happens at] our final end.”

The roads to Zion are in mourningBecause no one comes to the appointed feasts.All her gates are desolate;Her priests are groaning,Her virgins are grieved and suffering,And she suffers bitterly.

The time has come, the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn, for wrath is against all their multitude [of people].

“Son of man, listen carefully, I am about to take away from you the desire of your eyes [your wife] with a single stroke. Yet you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not flow.

Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will rot away in your sins and you will groan to one another.

‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when Assyria went down to Sheol (the place of the dead) I caused mourning; I closed the deep [subterranean waters] over it and restrained its rivers. And the many waters [that contributed to its prosperity] were held back; and I made [the heart of] Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away because of it.

Therefore the land [continually] mourns,And everyone who lives in it languishes [in tragic suffering]Together with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens;Even the fish of the sea disappear.

The people of Samaria will fear and trembleFor the [idolatrous] calf of Beth-aven (House of Wickedness).Indeed, its people will mourn over itAnd its idolatrous priests will cry out and wail over it,Over its glory, because the glory [of their calf god] has departed from it.

The [daily] grain offering and the drink offering are cut offFrom the house of the Lord;The priests mournWho minister to the Lord.

And he said,“The Lord thunders and roars from Zion [in judgment]And utters His voice from Jerusalem;Then the pastures of the shepherds mourn,And the summit of [Mount] Carmel dries up [because of God’s judgment].”

“Because of this [coming judgment] will the land not quakeAnd everyone mourn who dwells in it?Indeed, all of it shall rise up like the Nile,And it will be tossed around [from the impact of judgment]And [afterward] subside again like the Nile of Egypt.

The Lord God of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler],It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts,And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear],And all of it rises up like the NileAnd subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace (unmerited favor) and supplication. And they will look at Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him as one who weeps bitterly over a firstborn.

The land will mourn, every family by itself; the [royal] family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan [David’s son] by itself and their wives by themselves;

“Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].

And Jesus replied to them, “Can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

and say ‘We piped the flute for you [playing wedding], and you did not dance; we wailed sad dirges [playing funeral], and you did not mourn and cry aloud.’

And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor].

Woe to you who are well-fed (gorged, satiated) now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now [enjoying a life of self-indulgence], for you will mourn and weep [and deeply long for God].

And you are proud and arrogant! You should have mourned in shame so that the man who has done this [disgraceful] thing would be removed from your fellowship!

and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess [anything];

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. So it is to be. Amen.