Topical Bible: Sackcloth was Worn: Often Over the Whole Person

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Sackcloth, a coarse, rough fabric typically made from goat's hair, holds significant symbolic meaning throughout the Bible. It is often associated with mourning, repentance, and humility. The wearing of sackcloth over the whole person is a vivid expression of deep sorrow or penitence, frequently accompanied by other acts of contrition such as fasting and sitting in ashes.

Biblical Instances and Symbolism

1. Mourning and Grief: Sackcloth is prominently featured in the context of mourning. In Genesis 37:34, Jacob mourns the perceived death of his son Joseph: "Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days." This act of wearing sackcloth signifies profound personal loss and grief.

2. Repentance and Humility: The use of sackcloth as a sign of repentance is evident in the account of Nineveh. When Jonah proclaimed impending judgment, the people of Nineveh believed God, and as a sign of their repentance, they "proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least" (Jonah 3:5). The king of Nineveh himself "rose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes" (Jonah 3:6). This collective act of donning sackcloth underscores a communal acknowledgment of sin and a plea for divine mercy.

3. Prophetic Symbolism: Prophets often wore sackcloth to convey messages from God. In Isaiah 20:2, the prophet Isaiah is instructed to "loosen the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet," symbolizing a message of impending judgment and the need for repentance. Sackcloth here serves as a visual representation of the gravity of the prophetic message.

4. National Lamentation: Sackcloth is also worn during times of national crisis or lamentation. In 1 Kings 21:27, King Ahab, upon hearing Elijah's prophecy of doom, "tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and walked around subdued." This act of wearing sackcloth reflects a king's acknowledgment of his nation's sins and his personal contrition.

5. Expressions of Desperation: In the book of Esther, Mordecai's reaction to the edict against the Jews is to "tear his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and go out into the city, crying out in a loud and bitter voice" (Esther 4:1). This public display of sackcloth signifies a desperate plea for intervention and deliverance.

Cultural and Theological Significance

The wearing of sackcloth over the whole person is a powerful cultural and theological symbol in the biblical narrative. It represents a physical manifestation of inner turmoil, a visible sign of one's acknowledgment of sin, and a plea for God's mercy. The act of covering oneself in sackcloth is a humbling experience, stripping away the comforts and adornments of daily life to focus solely on spiritual matters. It serves as a reminder of human frailty and the need for divine grace.

In the biblical context, sackcloth is more than just a garment; it is a profound expression of the human condition in the face of sin, loss, and the need for redemption.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 19:1,2
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The First vision "On Earth"
... translate "yoke"; and because yokes are generally worn by oxen ... in Revelation 6:9.
"Soul" is often put for ... cloudless, instead of being "black as sackcloth of hair ...
/.../bullinger/commentary on revelation/the first vision on earth.htm

The Exodus
... bondage, under conviction of sin, that we often do by ... thou art now labouring, thou
poor way-worn child of ... for the spirit of heaviness;" the sackcloth shall be ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the exodus.htm

St. Gregory the Great.
... to yearn after the heavenly, while he lay in bonds and sackcloth. ... Shipwreck creaks
in its worn-out planks. ... Often, when my sons meet, it is my pleasure to tell ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter v st gregory the.htm

Homeward Bound
... to comply with you, I have often and often been coward ... on the bare earth at the last
with no extra sackcloth. ... He had worn it for functions, and would bear it ...
/.../marson/hugh bishop of lincoln/chapter x homeward bound.htm

How Joshua, the Commander of the Hebrews, Made War with The
... bold with success; so they put sackcloth over their garments ... they came out, but were
greatly worn by the ... the largeness of its measure, it often happening that ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 how joshua the.htm

Doing Glory to God in Pursuits of the World.
... a season religious impressions, which in turn have worn away ... If I were to go in
sackcloth and ashes, if I ... it is often not a religious wish, often only partially ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon xi doing glory to.htm

Ignatius Leaves his Native Land --What He did at Montserrat and at ...
... He therefore bought a piece of sackcloth, poorly woven, and ... of shoes of coarse stuff
that is often used in ... careful of his hair, which he had worn, and, indeed ...
/.../loyola/the autobiography of st ignatius/chapter ii ignatius leaves his.htm

An Unalterable Law
... Garments worn by men were usually cleansed with water. ... We do not often come across
such people in our ... like a bulrush, and wrapt thyself in sackcloth, and eat ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 60 1914/an unalterable law.htm

War! War! War!
... king on his throne robed himself in sackcloth and proclaimed a ... slay error, and destroy
bitterness, as often as ye ... pay soon, man, when thou hast worn thy sword ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/war war war.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... 17:5); but this is clear, they are worn by men ... the people that used to walk in sackcloth,
shall now ... would very willingly see her downfall, how often have they ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm