they make themselves bald for you and put sackcloth on their waist, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter mourning.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The intensity of the mourning is striking – they are literally making themselves "bald with baldness," a more extreme form of shaving the head than was even permitted for God's people, indicating a profound despair in their grief. This isn't just sadness; it's a desperate, heartfelt lament born from utter loss and devastation.
they make themselves bald for you and put sackcloth on their waist, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter mourning.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is delivering a lamentation, a dirge, over the proud and wealthy city of Tyre, detailing its impending destruction. The prophet describes how those who profited from Tyre's immense trade will react with profound grief and despair when they witness its downfall. This intense mourning, marked by stripping bare, wearing rough sackcloth, and weeping with bitter anguish, underscores the devastating impact of Tyre's ruin on the surrounding nations.
When you hear of extreme sorrow, what images come to mind? This verse paints a picture of devastation through ancient, physical expressions of grief.
Ezekiel describes people expressing their sorrow for Tyre's destruction with extreme, physical actions.
Signs of Deep Mourning
Tyre was a powerhouse of its time. Its fall wasn't just a political event; it sent shockwaves of mourning across the known world.
Ezekiel 27 is a powerful lament over the city of Tyre, a global trading hub renowned for its wealth and might. The prophecy vividly describes the impending destruction of this magnificent city.
The Scope of Tyre's Influence
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This verse describes the reaction to Tyre's fall. The deep mourning signifies that Tyre's influence was so vast that its complete devastation was a world-altering event, provoking profound sorrow and despair even from those who benefited from its trade.
Understand the original words
qorchah · Hebrew Noun
A ritual act of shaving the head, often signifying intense grief, shame, or total humiliation before God or as a response to severe catastrophe.
saq · Hebrew Noun
A coarse fabric, typically made of goat's hair, worn as a sign of extreme sorrow, repentance, or mourning, often associated with a state of humiliation.
merorah · Hebrew Noun
A state of deep, intense unhappiness and resentment, often linked to severe trial or the judgment of God. Biblically, it describes the emotional state of those suffering under divine discipline or tragic loss.
Ezekiel's prophecy of Tyre's mourning describes a profound, performative grief, mirroring the intense despair seen in pagan mourning customs. This imagery highlights the magnitude of Tyre's predicted downfall, a consequence of its arrogance and its ultimate defeat by Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon after a long siege.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Dominance
Tyre, a wealthy Phoenician city-state, experienced periods of great prosperity but also faced subjugation and tribute demands from dominant empires like Assyria.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Tyre
King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged Tyre, though the island city ultimately resisted conquest, demonstrating its resilience but also the constant threat it faced.
c. 680s BC
Tyre Under Assyrian Control
Following further conflict and diplomatic maneuvering, Tyre eventually submitted to Assyrian overlordship, paying tribute while maintaining some autonomy.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple deeply impacted the region, signaling a shift in imperial power and creating widespread grief and anxiety.
c. 585-573 BC— this verse
Babylonian Siege of Tyre
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon laid siege to Tyre for thirteen years. While Tyre eventually held out, the prolonged conflict significantly weakened the city and its influence.
332 BC
Alexander the Great Conquers Tyre
After a determined seven-month siege, Alexander the Great captured the island city of Tyre, a monumental military achievement that ended Phoenician independence.
This passage directly contrasts the mourning customs described in Ezekiel with God's commands for priests, highlighting how the pagan practices of baldness and ritual tearing were forbidden to Israel.
Jeremiah 47:5Similar to Ezekiel's lament over Tyre, Jeremiah describes the Philistines making themselves bald in their grief, showing this was a widespread cultural expression of deep sorrow and loss.
Micah 1:16Micah also calls for mourning and self-mutilation (making oneself bald) as a sign of judgment and sorrow for the sins of the people, drawing a parallel to the intense grief described in Ezekiel.
Revelation 18:19This New Testament passage echoes the fall of a great city (symbolically Babylon) and describes the kings and merchants of the earth weeping and wailing over its destruction, mirroring the profound lament for Tyre.
barnesEzekiel 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."
Utterly bald - See Ezekiel 7:18 note.
pooleEzekiel 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."
It was the custom of the heathen, to either pull off with their hands, or cut off, the hair of their heads in great mournings, which God forbade to his people, Leviticus 21:5 Deu 14:1 . Thus do Tyre’s mourners in baldness express their sorrow and despair. Gird them with sackcloth; another usual ceremony of mourners, well k…
The intensity of the mourning is striking – they are literally making themselves "bald with baldness," a more extreme form of shaving the head than was even permitted for God's people, indicating a profound despair in their grief. This isn't just sadness; it's a desperate, heartfelt lament born from utter loss and devastation.
Ezekiel is delivering a lamentation, a dirge, over the proud and wealthy city of Tyre, detailing its impending destruction. The prophet describes how those who profited from Tyre's immense trade will react with profound grief and despair when they witness its downfall. This intense mourning, marked by stripping bare, wearing rough sackcloth, and weeping with bitter anguish, underscores the devastating impact of Tyre's ruin on the surrounding nations.
Ezekiel is delivering a lamentation, a dirge, over the proud and wealthy city of Tyre, detailing its impending destruction. The prophet describes how those who profited from Tyre's immense trade will react with profound grief and despair when they witness its downfall. This intense mourning, marked by stripping bare, wearing rough sackcloth, and weeping with bitter anguish, underscores the devastating impact of Tyre's ruin on the surrounding nations.
"they make themselves bald for you and put sackcloth on their waist, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter mourning." — The intensity of the mourning is striking – they are literally making themselves "bald with baldness," a more extreme form of shaving the head than was even permitted for God's people, indicating a p…
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Last reviewed October 2026