Psalm 69:11
New International Version
when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.

New Living Translation
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me.

English Standard Version
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

Berean Standard Bible
I made sackcloth my clothing, and I was sport to them.

King James Bible
I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

New King James Version
I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them.

New American Standard Bible
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a proverb to them.

NASB 1995
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

NASB 1977
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

Legacy Standard Bible
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

Amplified Bible
When I made sackcloth my clothing [as one in mourning], I became a byword [a mere object of scorn] to them.

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

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I wore sackcloth as my clothing, and I was a joke to them.

American Standard Version
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword unto them.

Contemporary English Version
They sneered at me for wearing sackcloth to show my sorrow.

English Revised Version
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a proverb unto them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I dressed myself in sackcloth, but I became the object of ridicule.

Good News Translation
I dress myself in clothes of mourning, and they laugh at me.

International Standard Version
When I dressed in sackcloth, I became an object of gossip among them.

Majority Standard Bible
I made sackcloth my clothing, and I was sport to them.

NET Bible
I wear sackcloth and they ridicule me.

New Heart English Bible
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.

Webster's Bible Translation
I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

World English Bible
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I make my clothing sackcloth, "" And I am for an allegory to them.

Young's Literal Translation
And I make my clothing sackcloth, And I am to them for a simile.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I will give my clothing sackcloth, and I for a parable to them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a byword to them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I put on a haircloth as my garment, and I became a parable to them.

New American Bible
When I clothed myself in sackcloth; I became a byword for them.

New Revised Standard Version
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I made sackcloth also my garment and I became a proverb to them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I have made my clothes sackcloth and I have been a proverb to them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
I made sackcloth also my garment, And I became a byword unto them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I put on sackcloth for my covering; and I became a proverb to them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Waters Are Up to My Neck
10I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach. 11I made sackcloth my clothing, and I was sport to them. 12Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of drunkards.…

Cross References
Isaiah 58:5
Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD?

Matthew 11:21
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Jonah 3:6
When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

Daniel 9:3
So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

1 Kings 21:27
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

Nehemiah 9:1
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.

Joel 1:13
Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.

Esther 4:1
When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.

2 Samuel 3:31
Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.

Jeremiah 6:26
O daughter of my people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.

Ezekiel 27:31
They will shave their heads for you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and bitter mourning.

Matthew 6:16-18
When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. / But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, / so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Luke 10:13
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

Acts 13:2-3
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” / And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

2 Corinthians 6:5
in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;


Treasury of Scripture

I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

I made

Psalm 35:13,14
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom…

Isaiah 20:2
At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

Isaiah 22:12
And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

I became

Psalm 44:13,14
Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us…

Deuteronomy 28:37
And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

1 Kings 9:7
Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:

Jump to Previous
Byword Clothing Evil Garment Grief Proverb Sackcloth Simile Sport
Jump to Next
Byword Clothing Evil Garment Grief Proverb Sackcloth Simile Sport
Psalm 69
1. David complains of his affliction
13. He prays for deliverance
22. He devotes his enemies to destruction
30. He praises God with thanksgiving














I made sackcloth my clothing
The phrase "I made sackcloth my clothing" is rich with historical and cultural significance. In ancient Israel, sackcloth was a coarse material, often made from goat's hair, and was worn as a sign of mourning, repentance, or deep distress. The Hebrew root for sackcloth, "שַׂק" (saq), conveys the idea of a garment associated with humility and penitence. By choosing to wear sackcloth, the psalmist, traditionally understood to be David, is expressing profound sorrow and a heart of repentance. This act of donning sackcloth symbolizes a voluntary submission to God's will, acknowledging one's own sinfulness and the need for divine intervention. In a broader scriptural context, wearing sackcloth is often associated with seeking God's mercy, as seen in the accounts of Jonah and the Ninevites (Jonah 3:5-6) and King Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:1). For the believer, this phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of humility and repentance in one's walk with God.

and I was sport to them
The phrase "and I was sport to them" reflects the psalmist's experience of mockery and derision from others. The Hebrew word for "sport," "שָׂחַק" (sachaq), can mean to laugh, mock, or scorn. This indicates that the psalmist's outward expression of grief and repentance was met with ridicule rather than compassion or understanding. Historically, this reflects the societal tendency to scorn those who are in distress or who openly display their vulnerability. In the context of David's life, this could refer to the times when he was pursued by enemies or misunderstood by those around him. Scripturally, this theme of being mocked for righteousness is echoed in the life of Jesus Christ, who was also scorned and ridiculed by those who did not understand His mission (Matthew 27:29-31). For the modern believer, this phrase serves as an encouragement to remain steadfast in faith, even when facing ridicule or misunderstanding from the world. It is a call to find solace in God's understanding and approval, rather than seeking validation from others.

Verse 11. - I made sackcloth also my garment (see Psalm 30:12; Psalm 35:13); and I became a proverb to them; or, a byword, as the same word, mashal, is rendered in Psalm 44:14.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I made
וָאֶתְּנָ֣ה (wā·’et·tə·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

sackcloth
שָׂ֑ק (śāq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8242: A mesh, coarse loose cloth, sacking, a bag

my clothing,
לְבוּשִׁ֣י (lə·ḇū·šî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3830: A garment, clothing, raiment

and I was
וָאֱהִ֖י (wā·’ĕ·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

sport
לְמָשָֽׁל׃ (lə·mā·šāl)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4912: A pithy maxim, a simile

to them.
לָהֶ֣ם (lā·hem)
Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They


Links
Psalm 69:11 NIV
Psalm 69:11 NLT
Psalm 69:11 ESV
Psalm 69:11 NASB
Psalm 69:11 KJV

Psalm 69:11 BibleApps.com
Psalm 69:11 Biblia Paralela
Psalm 69:11 Chinese Bible
Psalm 69:11 French Bible
Psalm 69:11 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Psalm 69:11 When I made sackcloth my clothing (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 69:10
Top of Page
Top of Page