Jeremiah 48:37
New International Version
Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

New Living Translation
The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.

English Standard Version
“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth.

Berean Standard Bible
For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.

King James Bible
For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

New King James Version
“For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth—

New American Standard Bible
For every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and sackcloth around the waists.

NASB 1995
“For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

NASB 1977
“For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

Legacy Standard Bible
For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

Amplified Bible
For every head is [shaven] bald and every beard cut off; there are cuts (slashes) on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins [all expressions of mourning].

Christian Standard Bible
Indeed, every head is bald and every beard is chopped short. On every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Indeed, every head is bald and every beard clipped; on every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist.

American Standard Version
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

English Revised Version
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Every head is shaved, and every beard is cut off. There are gashes on every hand and sackcloth on every waist.

Good News Translation
All of them have shaved their heads and cut off their beards. They have all made gashes on their hands, and everyone is wearing sackcloth.

International Standard Version
Indeed every head will be bald and every beard cut short. There will be gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

Majority Standard Bible
For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth.

NET Bible
For all of them will shave their heads in mourning. They will all cut off their beards to show their sorrow. They will all make gashes in their hands. They will all put on sackcloth.

New Heart English Bible
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the waist sackcloth.

Webster's Bible Translation
For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

World English Bible
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped. There are cuttings on all the hands, and sackcloth on the waist.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For every head [is] bald, and every beard diminished, "" On all hands—cuttings, and on the loins—sackcloth.

Young's Literal Translation
For every head is bald, and every beard diminished, On all hands cuttings, and on the loins -- sackcloth.

Smith's Literal Translation
For every head bald, and every beard shaved: upon all hands cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For every head shall be bald, and every beard shall be shaven: all hands shall be tied together, and upon every back there shall be haircloth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For every head will be bald, and every beard will be shaved. All the hands will be bound together, and there will be haircloth on every back.

New American Bible
Every head has been shaved bald, every beard cut off; every hand gashed, and all their loins are draped in sackcloth.

New Revised Standard Version
For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; on all the hands there are gashes, and on the loins sackcloth.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For their heads are clipped and their beards shaved; upon all their hands are signs of mourning, and upon their loins sackcloth.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For their heads are sheared and their beards are shaven and upon all their hands is sorrow, and upon the waist, sackcloth
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For every head is bald, And every beard clipped; Upon all the hands are cuttings, And upon the loins sackcloth.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They shall all have their heads shaved in every place, and every beard shall be shaved; and all hands shall beat the breasts, and on all loins shall be sackcloth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on Moab
36Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished. 37For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every waist is sackcloth. 38On all the rooftops of Moab and in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered Moab like an unwanted jar,” declares the LORD.…

Cross References
Isaiah 15:2-3
Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off. / In its streets they wear sackcloth; on the rooftops and in the public squares they all wail, falling down weeping.

Isaiah 22:12
On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.

Ezekiel 7:18
They will put on sackcloth, and terror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all their faces, and all their heads will be shaved.

Amos 8:10
I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.

Micah 1:16
Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.

Job 1:20
Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,

2 Samuel 10:4
So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

Leviticus 21:5
Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.

Deuteronomy 14:1
You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,

Isaiah 3:24
Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame.

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
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.

Luke 7:32
They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

Revelation 18:19
Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”

James 4:9
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.


Treasury of Scripture

For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands shall be cuttings, and on the loins sackcloth.

every head

Jeremiah 16:6
Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

Jeremiah 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.

Jeremiah 47:5
Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

clipped [heb] diminished

Leviticus 19:28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

1 Kings 18:28
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

Mark 5:5
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

upon the loins

Genesis 37:29,34
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes…

1 Kings 21:27
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

2 Kings 6:30
And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.

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Bald Beard Body Covered Cut Cuttings Diminished Everywhere Face Hair Haircloth Hand Hands Head Loins Sackcloth Shaved Short Slashed Waist Wounds
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Bald Beard Body Covered Cut Cuttings Diminished Everywhere Face Hair Haircloth Hand Hands Head Loins Sackcloth Shaved Short Slashed Waist Wounds
Jeremiah 48
1. The judgment of Moab
7. for their pride
11. for their security
14. for their carnal confidence
26. and for their contempt of God and his people
47. The restoration of Moab














For every head is shaved
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, shaving the head was a sign of mourning and deep distress. The Hebrew root word for "shaved" is "גָּלַח" (galach), which conveys the act of cutting or shaving. This practice was often associated with lamentation and was a visible expression of grief. In the context of Jeremiah 48, this imagery signifies the totality of Moab's impending judgment and sorrow. The act of shaving the head is a public acknowledgment of loss and humiliation, reflecting the complete devastation that Moab would experience.

and every beard is clipped
The beard in ancient Israelite and surrounding cultures was a symbol of dignity and honor. The Hebrew word "קָצַץ" (qatsats) means to cut or clip. Clipping the beard was another sign of mourning and disgrace. In the conservative Christian perspective, this act can be seen as a stripping away of pride and self-reliance, a humbling before God. The Moabites, known for their arrogance, would be brought low, their pride cut away as their beards were clipped.

on every hand is a gash
The phrase "on every hand is a gash" refers to the practice of self-inflicted wounds as a sign of mourning or desperation. The Hebrew word "גֶּדֶר" (geder) means a cut or incision. This practice, though forbidden in Israelite law (Leviticus 19:28), was common among pagan nations. It symbolizes the depth of Moab's despair and the futility of their pagan rituals in the face of divine judgment. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, it underscores the emptiness of relying on anything other than God for salvation and comfort.

and around every waist is sackcloth
Sackcloth was a coarse material worn as a sign of mourning and repentance. The Hebrew word "שַׂק" (saq) refers to this rough fabric, often made from goat's hair. Wearing sackcloth was a public demonstration of sorrow and humility. In the context of Jeremiah 48, it signifies the widespread grief and acknowledgment of Moab's downfall. For conservative Christians, this imagery serves as a reminder of the need for genuine repentance and humility before God, recognizing that true comfort and restoration come from Him alone.

Verses 37, 38 (first part). - Based on Isaiah 15:2 (latter part), 3 (first part). On the primitive Arabic, Egyptian, and Hebrew custom of cutting off the hair, see on Jeremiah 16:6, and comp. Herod., 2:36. Clipped. The difference from the word in Isaiah is so slight that it may easily have arisen from a copyist. The meaning is virtually the same. Cuttings. So of Philistia (Jeremiah 47:5); see on Jeremiah 16:6.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

every
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

head
רֹאשׁ֙ (rōš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

is shaved
קָרְחָ֔ה (qā·rə·ḥāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7144: Baldness, bald spot

and every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

beard
זָקָ֖ן (zā·qān)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 2206: Beard, chin

is clipped;
גְּרֻעָ֑ה (gə·ru·‘āh)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular
Strong's 1639: To scrape off, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold

on
עַ֤ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

every
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

hand
יָדַ֙יִם֙ (yā·ḏa·yim)
Noun - fd
Strong's 3027: A hand

is a gash
גְּדֻדֹ֔ת (gə·ḏu·ḏōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1417: A furrow, cutting

and around
וְעַל־ (wə·‘al-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

every waist
מָתְנַ֖יִם (mā·ṯə·na·yim)
Noun - md
Strong's 4975: The waist, small of the back, the loins

[is] sackcloth.
שָֽׂק׃ (śāq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8242: A mesh, coarse loose cloth, sacking, a bag


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 48:37 For every head is bald and every (Jer.)
Jeremiah 48:36
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