'Sackcloth' in the Bible

Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

When any one of them dies and falls on anything it becomes unclean—any item of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work. It is to be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean.

David then ordered Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner.” And King David walked behind the funeral procession.

Rizpah, Aiah’s daughter, took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock from the beginning of the harvest until the rain poured down from heaven on the bodies. She kept the birds of the sky from them by day and the wild animals by night.

His servants said to him, “Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let’s put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’”So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.

When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. Then, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the Lord’s temple.

Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, who were wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell down with their faces to the ground.

On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.

When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly.

He only went as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate.

There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s command and edict came. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so he could take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them.

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin;I have buried my strength in the dust.

You turned my lament into dancing;You removed my sackclothand clothed me with gladness,

Yet when they were sick,my clothing was sackcloth;I humbled myself with fasting,and my prayer was genuine.

I wore sackcloth as my clothing,and I was a joke to them.

Instead of perfume there will be a stench;instead of a belt, a rope;instead of beautifully styled hair, baldness;instead of fine clothes, sackcloth;instead of beauty, branding.

In its streets they wear sackcloth;on its rooftops and in its public squares everyone wails,falling down and weeping.

during that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, take off your sackcloth and remove the sandals from your feet,” and he did so, going naked and barefoot—

On that day the Lord God of Hostscalled for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads,and for the wearing of sackcloth.

Shudder, you complacent ones;tremble, you overconfident ones!Strip yourselves bareand put sackcloth around your waists.

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.

Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, who were wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

I dress the heavens in blackand make sackcloth their clothing.

Will the fast I choose be like this:A day for a person to deny himself,to bow his head like a reed,and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?Will you call this a fastand a day acceptable to the Lord?

Because of this, put on sackcloth;mourn and wail,for the Lord’s burning angerhas not turned away from us.

My dear people, dress yourselves in sackclothand roll in the dust.Mourn as you would for an only son,a bitter lament,for suddenly the destroyer will come on us.

Indeed, every head is bald and every beard clipped; on every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist.

Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated;cry out, daughters of Rabbah!Clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and lament;run back and forth within your walls,because Milcom will go into exiletogether with his priests and officials.

י YodThe elders of Daughter Zionsit on the ground in silence.They have thrown dust on their headsand put on sackcloth.The young women of Jerusalemhave bowed their heads to the ground.

They will put on sackcloth,and horror will overwhelm them.Shame will cover all their faces,and all their heads will be bald.

They shave their heads because of youand wrap themselves in sackcloth.They weep over youwith deep anguish and bitter mourning.

So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth,mourning for the husband of her youth.

Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests;wail, you ministers of the altar.Come and spend the night in sackcloth,you ministers of my God,because grain and drink offeringsare withheld from the house of your God.

I will turn your feasts into mourningand all your songs into lamentation;I will cause everyone to wear sackclothand every head to be shaved.I will make that grieflike mourning for an only sonand its outcome like a bitter day.

The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.

When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from the violence he is doing.