eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's striking here is that these men, coming from areas known for mixed worship, are showing extreme signs of mourning—shaved beards, torn clothes, even self-inflicted gashes—while bringing grain offerings and incense. This suggests they're trying to express profound grief for the destruction of the Temple, even though some of these mourning practices were actually forbidden by the Law.
eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Just days after the governor Gedaliah was murdered and his death kept quiet, a group of eighty men arrived from northern towns like Shechem and Samaria. They were clearly in deep mourning, with shaved beards, torn clothes, and even self-inflicted wounds, bearing grain offerings and incense to present at the ruined Temple.
Imagine eighty men arriving, their faces and clothes showing deep distress. What do these outward signs tell us about their inner state?
These eighty men arrive from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria displaying profound grief. Their beards are shaved, their clothes are torn, and their bodies are gashed.
They're bringing offerings and incense, but the Temple is gone. What does this reveal about their understanding of God and worship?
Despite their outward signs of mourning, these men are on a journey with a misguided purpose. They are bringing grain offerings and incense, intending to present them "at the temple of the LORD." However, the Temple had been destroyed.
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These pilgrims are filled with sorrow and seeking God. Yet, their path leads them straight into a trap. What does this reveal about the dangers of this post-exilic period?
The journey of these eighty men from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria is tragically cut short. They are heading towards Jerusalem with offerings, displaying deep mourning.
Understand the original words
galach · Hebrew Verb
A ritual practice in the ancient Near East often associated with mourning the dead, expressing profound grief, or occasionally signaling apostasy, despite being forbidden by Mosaic Law in certain contexts.
qara · Hebrew Verb
A physical manifestation of extreme sorrow or repentance, common in biblical narratives to signify a breaking of spirit or the onset of public lamentation.
gadad · Hebrew Verb
A practice often associated with pagan mourning rites, prohibited under the Holiness Code (Leviticus 19:28), expressing deep emotional or spiritual anguish.
minchah · Hebrew Noun
A voluntary or prescribed tribute offered to God, primarily consisting of flour, oil, and frankincense, intended to acknowledge God’s provision and the offerer's dedication.
qetoret · Hebrew Noun
A sweet-smelling substance burned in worship to symbolize the rising of prayers and the pleasing presence of God, often associated with the holiness of the sanctuary.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The proper name of the God of Israel, the covenant-keeping Creator who revealed Himself to Moses and dwelt among His people in the tabernacle and later the temple.
bayit · Hebrew Noun
The localized dwelling place of God’s presence on earth among His people, serving as the center for sacrificial worship and covenant identity.
These pilgrims, traveling from the north with signs of profound sorrow, represent a remnant community still connected to Jerusalem's worship, even after its destruction. Their tragic fate highlights the brutal instability and the persistence of violence in the land following the Babylonian conquest.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, its population largely exiled and replaced with foreign peoples.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem, and burn the First Temple, devastating the heart of Jewish worship and national life.
586 BC
Gedaliah Appointed Governor
Nebuchadnezzar appoints Gedaliah as governor over the remaining population in Judah, establishing a fragile administration in Mizpah.
c. 586 BC
Assassination of Gedaliah
Ishmael son of Nethaniah murders Gedaliah and many Judean leaders, creating a power vacuum and fear among the remaining people.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Arrival of Mourners from the North
Eighty men from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, displaying deep signs of mourning, arrive at Mizpah with offerings to present at the destroyed Temple site.
c. 586 BC
Massacre at Mizpah
Ishmael and his men brutally murder the eighty mourners from the north, adding to the bloodshed and terror in the land.
c. 586 BC
Flight to Egypt
Fearing Babylonian reprisal, a contingent of Judeans, including the prophet Jeremiah, flees to Egypt, leaving the land largely desolate.
This passage explicitly forbids the practices of shaving the beard and cutting oneself as signs of mourning, highlighting the deviation of these men from Mosaic Law and their embrace of foreign customs, likely due to the influence of the mixed populations in Samaria.
Jeremiah 16:6This verse in Jeremiah also condemns the practice of cutting oneself in mourning, reinforcing that these actions by the eighty men were considered extreme and contrary to God's will, even in their grief.
2 Kings 25:9This verse describes the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians, providing the crucial context for why these men were traveling to a ruined site and the profound sorrow their offerings signified.
2 Chronicles 34:9This passage shows that people from the northern regions (like Manasseh, which bordered Samaria) had previously contributed to the Temple's upkeep, suggesting a potential lineage of devotion that these men, despite their outward transgressions, might have been trying to express.
John 4:20-21This passage reveals the historical significance of Shechem and the Samaritan focus on worship at Mount Gerizim, indicating that while these men were traveling towards Jerusalem, their background shows a complex religious identity, possibly seeking connection with the traditions of the destroyed Temple.
calvinJeremiah 41:4-5: "And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,"
That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.
Et venerunt viri ex Sichem, e Silo et Samaria octoginta rasi barba (vel, rasa barba,) et laceris vestibus, et scissi (vel, laniati) in cute…
pooleJeremiah 41:5: "That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD."
Samaria was the name both of a city and a province; Shechem was a city within that province, within the limits of the tribe of Ephraim, Joshua 20:7 . These places were now inhabited by a mixed people, partly Jews, partly such as the…
What's striking here is that these men, coming from areas known for mixed worship, are showing extreme signs of mourning—shaved beards, torn clothes, even self-inflicted gashes—while bringing grain offerings and incense. This suggests they're trying to express profound grief for the destruction of the Temple, even though some of these mourning practices were actually forbidden by the Law.
Just days after the governor Gedaliah was murdered and his death kept quiet, a group of eighty men arrived from northern towns like Shechem and Samaria. They were clearly in deep mourning, with shaved beards, torn clothes, and even self-inflicted wounds, bearing grain offerings and incense to present at the ruined Temple.
Just days after the governor Gedaliah was murdered and his death kept quiet, a group of eighty men arrived from northern towns like Shechem and Samaria. They were clearly in deep mourning, with shaved beards, torn clothes, and even self-inflicted wounds, bearing grain offerings and incense to present at the ruined Temple.
"eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the LORD." — What's striking here is that these men, coming from areas known for mixed worship, are showing extreme signs of mourning—shaved beards, torn clothes, even self-inflicted gashes—while bringing grain o…
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Last reviewed October 2026