The text describes Job's physical actions of grief—tearing his robe, shaving his head, and falling down—but the crucial detail is that all of this culminates in worship. Instead of cursing God as the accuser predicted, Job's immediate, visceral reaction to the unimaginable loss of his children was to bow down and adore God.
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having already lost all his possessions, Job's world completely shatters when he hears that a great wind destroyed his children while they were feasting. Instead of cursing God, as the Accuser predicted, Job performs traditional acts of deep mourning, tearing his clothes and shaving his head, before falling to the ground in worship. This unexpected response reveals Job's profound submission to God's sovereignty, even in the face of unimaginable loss.
Job's reaction to devastating loss involved outward actions that might seem extreme to us today. What do these gestures reveal about ancient understanding of grief?
When Job received the news of his children's deaths, his response was immediate and demonstrative. He 'arose and tore his robe and shaved his head.'
Ancient Expressions of Sorrow
These actions weren't just about putting on a show; they were deeply ingrained cultural and emotional responses to tragedy, showing that Job felt the bitterness of his loss profoundly.
In the face of unimaginable loss, Job's response wasn't rage or despair, but worship. How can this be?
The most striking part of Job's reaction is that after expressing his grief, he 'worshipped.' This defied the expectation—and Satan's accusation—that Job would curse God.
Ask a follow-up
Worship in the Face of Tragedy
Understand the original words
qāraʿ · Hebrew Verb
An outward manifestation of grief, mourning, or extreme distress. In the ancient Near East, tearing one's garment was a culturally recognized act signaling deep emotional anguish or repentance.
gālaḥ · Hebrew Verb
A ritual act of mourning or humiliation. Shaving the head was a common practice in the ancient world to express profound sorrow, shame, or submission to God in times of crisis.
šāḥâ · Hebrew Verb
The act of prostrating oneself or showing supreme reverence and honor to God. It acknowledges God's worthiness, sovereignty, and rightful claim to glory, regardless of the worshiper's circumstances.
arôm · Hebrew Adjective
A state of being without possessions, resources, or covering, emphasizing human helplessness and complete dependence upon God at the beginning and end of life.
Yahweh · Hebrew Noun
The proper name of the God of Israel, the self-existent One who enters into covenant relationship with His people and is characterized by His faithfulness and holiness.
nâthan · Hebrew Verb
To bestow, grant, or provide as a gift; it acknowledges that all things belong to God and that any possession is an act of His grace rather than a human entitlement.
lâqach · Hebrew Verb
To lift up, take, or remove; in this context, it acknowledges God’s sovereign prerogative to remove what He has graciously provided without the person losing their standing before Him.
bârak · Hebrew Verb
To speak well of, praise, or adore; it expresses the recognition of God’s supreme worth, character, and authority, regardless of one’s current circumstances.
shêm · Hebrew Noun
The reputation, character, essence, or authority of a person; when applied to God, it refers to His revealed nature and the entirety of who He is as He has made Himself known.
châṭâʼ · Hebrew Verb
To miss the mark, deviate from God’s standard, or fail to live according to His law; it encompasses both actions and attitudes that are contrary to God’s nature.
nâthan · Hebrew Verb
To give, attribute, or ascribe; it is often used in legal contexts, referring to pinning blame or accusing someone of impropriety or failure.
tiplâh · Hebrew Noun
That which is not right, moral failure, absurdity, or an act that lacks integrity; to charge God with this is to accuse the Creator of moral deficiency or injustice.
Jacob tore his robes and mourned deeply for his son Joseph, mirroring the conventional outward expression of profound grief that Job also displayed.
2 Samuel 12:20After his son's death, David also rose, washed himself, and worshiped God, showing a similar pattern of outward mourning followed by an act of worship.
Ezra 9:3Ezra tore his cloak and hair in anguish over the people's unfaithfulness, highlighting how rending garments was a widespread sign of deep distress and repentance.
Isaiah 15:2The prophet describes Moabite mourners shaving their heads in their grief, illustrating another common practice of expressing sorrow through physical self-abasement.
Jeremiah 41:5Mourners were observed shaving their heads and tearing their clothes, showing that these actions were recognized rituals of grief in ancient times.
bensonJob 1:20: "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,"
Job 1:20 . Then Job arose — From his seat whereon he had been sitting in a disconsolate posture; and rent his mantle — In token of his deep sense of, and just sorrow for, the heavy hand of God upon him, and his humiliation of himself under that hand: see Genesis 37:34 ; and shaved his head — Caused the hair of his head to be shaved or cut off, which was then a usual ceremony in m…
clarkeJob 1:20: "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,"
Rent his mantle - Tearing the garments, shaving or pulling off the hair of the head, throwing dust or ashes on the head, and fitting on the ground, were acts by which immoderate grief was expressed. Job must have felt the bitterness of anguish when he was told that, in addition to the loss of all his property, he was deprived of his ten children by a violent death. Had he not fel…
The text describes Job's physical actions of grief—tearing his robe, shaving his head, and falling down—but the crucial detail is that all of this culminates in worship. Instead of cursing God as the accuser predicted, Job's immediate, visceral reaction to the unimaginable loss of his children was to bow down and adore God.
Having already lost all his possessions, Job's world completely shatters when he hears that a great wind destroyed his children while they were feasting. Instead of cursing God, as the Accuser predicted, Job performs traditional acts of deep mourning, tearing his clothes and shaving his head, before falling to the ground in worship. This unexpected response reveals Job's profound submission to God's sovereignty, even in the face of unimaginable loss.
Having already lost all his possessions, Job's world completely shatters when he hears that a great wind destroyed his children while they were feasting. Instead of cursing God, as the Accuser predicted, Job performs traditional acts of deep mourning, tearing his clothes and shaving his head, before falling to the ground in worship. This unexpected response reveals Job's profound submission to God's sovereignty, even in the face of unimaginable loss.
"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the L…" — The text describes Job's physical actions of grief—tearing his robe, shaving his head, and falling down—but the crucial detail is that all of this culminates in worship. Instead of cursing God as t…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
