Lexical Summary saq: Sackcloth Original Word: שַׂק Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sackcloth, From shaqaq; properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run through), i.e. Coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grain, etc.) -- sack(-cloth, -clothes). see HEBREW shaqaq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition sack, sackcloth NASB Translation sack (4), sackcloth (42), sacks (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs שַׂק noun masculineJoshua 9:4 sack, sackcloth (see SchwZAW xi (1891), 173 who conjectures Egyptian origin; Late Hebrew סַק sackcloth (rare); Assyrian ša‡‡u, sack (DlHWB 687 a), sackcloth (WklAltor. Forsch, vi. 44); Ethiopic  = Biblical Hebrew; Aramaic סַקָּא,  ; Greek σάκκος LewyFremdw. 87); — absolute ׳שׂ Genesis 37:34 +, שָׂ֑ק Jeremiah 48:37 +; suffix שַׂקִּי Psalm 30:12, etc.; plural שַׂקִּים Joshua 9:4 +, suffix שַׂקֵּיהֶם Genesis 42:35; — 1 sack, for grain Genesis 42:25,27 ("" אַמְתַּחַת), Genesis 42:35; Genesis 42:35 (E), Joshua 9:4 (JE), perhaps also Leviticus 11:32 (P). 2 sackcloth: a. worn in mourning and humiliation (see NowArchaeology i. 192 f. SACookEncy. Bib. under the word), either loose garment like sack, or piece of similar material (of rough, dark hair), fastened round body: put (שִׂים) on loins Genesis 37:34 (J), 1 Kings 20:31, on (bare) flesh 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 6:30, compare Jeremiah 48:37; Job 16:15 (with תָּפַר); ׳וְהַעֲלֵיתִי עַלכָּֿלמָֿתְנַיִם שׂ Amos 8:10; usually girt on (חָגַר) 2 Samuel 3:31; Isaiah 15:3; Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 4:8; Jeremiah 6:26; Jeremiah 49:3; Ezekiel 7:18; Ezekiel 27:31; 1 Kings 20:32; Joel 1:8, compare Isaiah 3:24; ׳כִּסָּה בַּשּׂ 2 Kings 19:1,2= Isaiah 37:1,2; Jonah 3:6,8; 1 Chronicles 21:16, figurative of heavens (compare קָדַר), אָשִׂים כְּסוּתָם ׳שׂ Isaiah 50:3; late ׳לָבַשׁ שׂ put on sackcloth Jonah 3:5; Esther 4:1, compare Esther 4:2; Psalm 35:13; Psalm 69:12; ׳בְּצוֺם וְשׂ Nehemiah 9:1, compare Daniel 9:3; ׳מִּתַּח שׂ loosen sackcloth Isaiah 20:2 (+ מֵעַל), Psalm 30:12 (opposed to שִׂמְחָה), מֵעַל ׳הֵסִיר שׂ Esther 4:4. b. same garment (or material) spread out (to lie on), 2 Samuel 21:10 (with הִטָּה), Isaiah 58:5 (with הִצִּיעַ), compare Esther 4:3 ׳וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּשׂ 1 Kings 21:27, ׳לִינוּ בַּשּׂ Joel 1:13. Topical Lexicon Material and Cultural BackgroundSackcloth was a coarse hair-cloth woven primarily from goat or camel hair. It served two obvious functions: a sturdy container for goods and a deliberately uncomfortable garment whose scratchiness matched the bitterness of grief or penitence. Sackcloth in Ordinary Commerce Agrarian life depended on these durable bags. Joseph’s brothers filled “their sacks” with grain in Egypt (Genesis 42:25–35; 43:18; 44:1–8). The Gibeonites’ ruse featured “worn-out sacks on their donkeys” (Joshua 9:4, 13). Jeremiah notes refugees returning with the harvest “in jars and in sacks” (Jeremiah 40:12). Haggai laments wages disappearing in “a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6). These texts locate sackcloth in the humble routines of work and trade. Garment of Personal Mourning In private sorrow the same rough cloth was tied about the loins or exchanged for normal dress. Jacob “tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days” (Genesis 37:34). David’s lament over Abner led the procession: “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth” (2 Samuel 3:31). Psalm laments recall, “I made sackcloth my clothing” (Psalm 69:11). The garment pressed the reality of grief into the skin. Sign of Repentance and Fasting Sackcloth became a visible confession of sin. Convicted by Elijah, Ahab “put on sackcloth and fasted” (1 Kings 21:27). Daniel “turned [his] attention to the Lord God… with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3). Joel orders priests, “Put on sackcloth and lament” (Joel 1:13). The outward act was to reflect an inward tearing of the heart (Joel 2:13). Corporate and National Lament Whole populations reached for sackcloth in crises. Facing extermination, “there was great mourning among the Jews… many lay in sackcloth and ashes” (Esther 4:3). Under Assyrian threat King Hezekiah “covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 19:1). Jeremiah pleads, “Put on sackcloth, my people” (Jeremiah 6:26). Such scenes convert personal sorrow into covenant solidarity. Royal Humility Monarchs occasionally wore sackcloth beneath regal robes. The besieged king of Israel revealed it under his garments (2 Kings 6:30). Ben-hadad’s envoys pleaded for mercy “wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads” (1 Kings 20:31–32). Sackcloth erased rank before the Judge of all the earth. Prophetic Symbolism Prophets themselves adopted sackcloth. Isaiah routinely wore it until commanded to remove it for an enacted sign (Isaiah 20:2). Zechariah foresees counterfeit prophets who will “put on a hairy cloak to deceive” (Zechariah 13:4). Revelation’s two witnesses “will prophesy… clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3), evoking the Old Testament image of solemn proclamation. Liturgical and Temple Associations David and the elders, after the census sin, “covered themselves in sackcloth and fell facedown” before God (1 Chronicles 21:16). Post-exilic Israel assembled “with fasting and in sackcloth” for public confession (Nehemiah 9:1). These occurrences integrate lament into formal worship and affirm that lament can be sacred. Metaphorical Extensions Sackcloth becomes a poetic symbol. God clothes the heavens with it (Isaiah 50:3). Amos predicts a day when the land will mourn “like the mourning for an only son” (Amos 8:10). The Lord’s reversal is equally vivid: “You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11). Typological and Christological Insights The prickly cloth foreshadows the Man of Sorrows who bore human griefs (Isaiah 53:2–4). In Christ, mourners receive “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3), exchanging sackcloth for salvation robes. Ministry Applications 1. Preaching: Sackcloth illustrates that genuine repentance is tangible, not theoretical. Conclusion Whether as a merchant’s bag or a mourner’s garment, sackcloth weaves through Scripture as a consistent witness to human frailty and divine mercy. Its scratchy threads still call God’s people to humble themselves, confident that He alone can transform mourning into praise. Forms and Transliterations בְּשַׂקּ֑וֹ בַּשַּׂקִּ֑ים בַּשַּׂקִּ֖ים בַּשָּׂ֔ק בַשַּׂקִּ֔ים בשק בשקו בשקים הַשַּׂ֛ק הַשַּׂ֜ק הַשַּׂק֙ השק וְשַׂ֖ק וְשַׂ֤ק וְשַׂ֥ק וּבְשַׂקִּ֔ים ובשקים ושק שַׂ֔ק שַׂ֖ק שַׂ֣ק שַׂ֥ק שַׂקִּ֑י שַׂקִּ֑ים שַׂקִּ֔ים שַׂקִּ֖ים שַׂקִּ֗ים שַׂקִּ֤ים שַׂקִּ֨ים שַׂקֵּיהֶ֔ם שַׂקּ֔וֹ שַׂקּ֗וֹ שַׂקּ֛וֹ שָֽׂק׃ שָׂ֑ק שָׂ֔ק שָׂ֗ק שָׂק֙ שק שק׃ שקו שקי שקיהם שקים baś·śāq baś·śaq·qîm ḇaś·śaq·qîm basSak bassakKim baśśāq baśśaqqîm ḇaśśaqqîm bə·śaq·qōw besakKo bəśaqqōw haś·śaq hasSak haśśaq sak sakkeiHem sakKi sakKim sakKo śaq śāq śaq·qê·hem śaq·qî śaq·qîm śaq·qōw śaqqêhem śaqqî śaqqîm śaqqōw ū·ḇə·śaq·qîm ūḇəśaqqîm uvesakKim vassakKim veSak wə·śaq wəśaqLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 37:34 HEB: שִׂמְלֹתָ֔יו וַיָּ֥שֶׂם שַׂ֖ק בְּמָתְנָ֑יו וַיִּתְאַבֵּ֥ל NAS: and put sackcloth on his loins KJV: and put sackcloth upon his loins, INT: his clothes and put sackcloth his loins and mourned Genesis 42:25 Genesis 42:27 Genesis 42:35 Genesis 42:35 Leviticus 11:32 Joshua 9:4 2 Samuel 3:31 2 Samuel 21:10 1 Kings 20:31 1 Kings 20:32 1 Kings 21:27 1 Kings 21:27 2 Kings 6:30 2 Kings 19:1 2 Kings 19:2 1 Chronicles 21:16 Nehemiah 9:1 Esther 4:1 Esther 4:2 Esther 4:3 Esther 4:4 Job 16:15 Psalm 30:11 Psalm 35:13 48 Occurrences |
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