In the Bible, tears often serve as a powerful metaphor for deep emotional experiences, ranging from sorrow and repentance to compassion and divine intervention. The figurative use of tears enriches the biblical narrative, providing insight into the human condition and God's relationship with His people.

Sorrow and Mourning

Tears are frequently associated with sorrow and mourning, symbolizing the profound grief experienced by individuals and communities. In the Psalms, David often uses tears to express his anguish and distress. For instance, Psalm 6:6 states, "I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears." Here, tears represent the depth of David's suffering and his earnest plea for God's intervention.

The book of Lamentations vividly portrays the tears of Jerusalem as a city in mourning. Lamentations 1:16 declares, "For these things I weep; my eyes overflow with tears, for there is no one to comfort me, no one to restore my soul." The tears of the city personify its desolation and the collective grief of its people.

Repentance and Contrition

Tears also symbolize repentance and contrition, reflecting a heart turned back to God. In the New Testament, the account of the sinful woman who anoints Jesus' feet with her tears is a poignant example. Luke 7:38 describes her actions: "As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair." Her tears signify genuine repentance and devotion, leading to Jesus' declaration of her forgiveness.

The Apostle Paul, in his letters, often speaks of tears in the context of repentance and pastoral concern. In 2 Corinthians 2:4 , he writes, "For through many tears I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you, but to let you know the depth of my love." Here, tears convey Paul's deep emotional investment in the spiritual well-being of the Corinthian church.

Compassion and Empathy

Tears are also emblematic of compassion and empathy, reflecting God's heart for His people. In John 11:35 , the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept," we see the tears of Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. These tears demonstrate His deep compassion for the suffering of Mary and Martha, as well as His identification with human sorrow.

The prophet Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," exemplifies tears of compassion for a wayward nation. In Jeremiah 9:1 , he laments, "Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people." Jeremiah's tears reflect God's own sorrow over Israel's sin and impending judgment.

Divine Intervention and Restoration

In a broader eschatological sense, tears are used to depict divine intervention and the promise of restoration. Revelation 21:4 offers a vision of the ultimate removal of tears: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away." This imagery conveys the hope of a future where God will eradicate all sources of sorrow and suffering.

The prophetic literature also uses tears to symbolize the restoration of joy and blessing. In Isaiah 25:8 , it is prophesied, "He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth." Here, tears are transformed from symbols of grief to emblems of divine comfort and redemption.

In summary, the figurative use of tears in the Bible serves as a multifaceted symbol, capturing the depth of human emotion and the profound nature of God's interaction with His creation. Whether representing sorrow, repentance, compassion, or divine promise, tears enrich the biblical narrative with layers of meaning and spiritual insight.Psalm 80:5
You feed them with the bread of tears; and give them tears to drink in great measure.
Nave's Topical Index

The Use of the Symbolic Style by Poets and Philosophers.
... keraisi) is meant "ploughs;" and by the warp (stemosi), the furrows; and the woof
(mitos) is a figurative expression for the seed; and that the tears of Zeus ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter viii the use of the.htm

Difficulties and Objections
... light on numerous other passages which, if we ignore their figurative character
and ... up with Christ's lament over Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37, His tears over the ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter eleven difficulties and objections.htm

Letter Xlvi. Paula and Eustochium to Marcella.
... tones of thunder: "Your house is left unto you desolate." With tears He has ... punished;
if the temple was overthrown, it was that its figurative sacrifices might ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter xlvi paula and eustochium.htm

But if no Authority for Lying Can be Alleged...
... lie which is received to have been done or said in a figurative sense, or ... because
Peter's correction rather than his simulation, even as his tears rather than ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/on lying/section 9 but if no.htm

Stillness in Storm
... Nothing tears us to pieces like foreboding care. ... that come from setting our hopes
and hearts on aught which can change; and its figurative representation of ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/stillness in storm.htm

Proceeding Immediately after to Mix up and Compare with one ...
... who, according to him, shed fountains of warm water for tears, the following ... to have
actually taken place, and to be indicative of a figurative meaning existing ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter lvi proceeding immediately after.htm

Whether There Can be any Suitable Cause for the Sacraments of the ...
... The figurative reason of these things was that those who are to be consecrated to ...
all purified by the waters of Baptism, and by the waters of tears, in their ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there can be any 2.htm

Angelic Comforters.
... us too many positive statements on the subject to permit a figurative interpretation ...
made death itself yield its prey"He who had first shed His tears and then ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xxii angelic comforters.htm

A Paradox of Selling and Buying
... of remorse which is quite different from the sense of mistake, tears to tatters
the ... But whatever figurative elements may enter into it, its core is the ethical ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/a paradox of selling and.htm

Letter Xlv. To a Lapsed Monk.
... in pouring out confession to God, and made your beard wet with channels of tears. ...
seems no reason why "Jerusalem" may not be taken in a figurative sense for ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter xlv to a lapsed.htm

Does God cry? | GotQuestions.org

What sort of condolences should a Christian give someone who is hurting after the death of a loved one? | GotQuestions.org

How do I find comfort and peace when I have lost a loved one to death? | GotQuestions.org

Tears: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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