Ezekiel 27:31
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)
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The intensity of their grief is expressed through baldness, a practice God forbade for His people because it was tied to pagan rituals of mourning. This detail shows how deeply the world is shaken by Tyre's fall, even those participating in outward displays of sorrow with a pagan flavor.
Ezekiel is describing the utter destruction of Tyre, a mighty trading city, portraying its downfall as a funeral lament. This passage follows vivid descriptions of Tyre's wealth and power, contrasting it with the profound grief and despair that its ruin will evoke. The prophet imagines mourners engaging in extreme acts of sorrow, like shaving their heads and wearing sackcloth, to express the deep bitterness of their loss.
Imagine a grief so deep it strips away all pretense, leaving only raw pain. This verse paints a powerful picture of that kind of sorrow.
The prophet Ezekiel describes the extreme mourning that will accompany the fall of Tyre, a mighty trading city.
Visible Signs of Inner Pain
The people's response involves dramatic physical actions:
These actions, common in the ancient Near East for profound grief, show that the downfall of Tyre was not just an economic loss but a catastrophic event that evoked overwhelming anguish.
Did you know that some outward expressions of grief, though common, were off-limits to God's people? This verse touches on why.
While Ezekiel describes common mourning practices of his day, it's important to remember God's specific instructions to Israel.
Distinct Ways of Grieving
God forbade His people from practices like cutting or pulling out their hair in mourning (Leviticus 21:5, Deuteronomy 14:1). Why?
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.
This passage directly contrasts the pagan mourning practices of shaving one's head with the holiness required of priests, highlighting the extreme and forbidden nature of the baldness described in Ezekiel.
Jeremiah 47:5This verse describes similar outward expressions of grief ('baldness') and weeping in response to the destruction of the Philistines, showing a shared prophetic pattern of lament over fallen nations.
Micah 1:16Micah also calls for baldness and mourning as a sign of judgment upon Israel for their sins, illustrating how this deep sorrow signifies loss and the consequences of disobedience.
Revelation 18:19This New Testament passage echoes Ezekiel's lament over a fallen commercial power (Babylon), describing how people will 'cast dust on their heads' and 'weep and mourn' as they witness its destruction.
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 their grief is expressed through baldness, a practice God forbade for His people because it was tied to pagan rituals of mourning. This detail shows how deeply the world is shaken by Tyre's fall, even those participating in outward displays of sorrow with a pagan flavor.
Ezekiel is describing the utter destruction of Tyre, a mighty trading city, portraying its downfall as a funeral lament. This passage follows vivid descriptions of Tyre's wealth and power, contrasting it with the profound grief and despair that its ruin will evoke. The prophet imagines mourners engaging in extreme acts of sorrow, like shaving their heads and wearing sackcloth, to express the deep bitterness of their loss.
"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 their grief is expressed through baldness, a practice God forbade for His people because it was tied to pagan rituals of mourning. This detail shows how deeply the world is shaken by…
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Ezekiel uses these familiar, albeit forbidden, symbols of deep mourning to emphasize the sheer devastation Tyre's fall would bring, even to those outside of Israel who engaged in such practices.
