Topical Bible: Head in Grief: The Hands Placed On

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In biblical times, the act of placing hands on the head was a significant gesture often associated with expressions of grief, lamentation, and penitence. This practice is deeply rooted in the cultural and religious traditions of the ancient Near East and is reflected in various passages of the Bible.

The act of placing hands on the head is a physical manifestation of sorrow and distress. It is a gesture that conveys the weight of emotional burden and the depth of one's mourning. This practice is seen in several instances throughout the Scriptures, where individuals express their grief and despair through this symbolic action.

One notable example is found in the book of 2 Samuel, where Tamar, after being violated by her brother Amnon, "put ashes on her head and tore the robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went" (2 Samuel 13:19). Tamar's actions vividly illustrate the profound shame and sorrow she experienced, with the placement of her hand on her head serving as a visible sign of her inner turmoil.

Similarly, the prophet Jeremiah describes a scene of collective mourning among the people of Israel, where the gesture of placing hands on the head is part of their lamentation: "The people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not save them at all in their time of disaster. 'Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you. Yet you have said, ‘No, it is hopeless! For I have loved foreigners, and I will go after them.’ Therefore, I will scatter them like chaff driven by the desert wind. This is your lot, the portion I have decreed for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you have forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood. I will pull up your skirts over your face, that your shame may be seen. Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills in the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?’" (Jeremiah 2:27-37). Here, the gesture is part of a broader expression of national repentance and acknowledgment of sin.

The placement of hands on the head is also linked to the concept of bearing guilt or shame. In the book of Lamentations, the author writes, "The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground" (Lamentations 2:10). This imagery underscores the collective grief and humiliation experienced by the people in the wake of Jerusalem's destruction.

In the context of biblical symbolism, the head often represents the seat of one's identity and dignity. Thus, the act of placing hands on the head in times of grief can be seen as an acknowledgment of personal or communal loss, a gesture of humility, and a plea for divine intervention or forgiveness.

Throughout the Bible, the gesture of placing hands on the head in grief serves as a poignant reminder of the human condition, the reality of suffering, and the need for repentance and restoration. It is a powerful expression of the heart's cry to God in times of distress and a testament to the enduring hope for redemption and healing.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Samuel 13:19
And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 2:37
Yes, you shall go forth from him, and your hands on your head: for the LORD has rejected your confidences, and you shall not prosper in them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Jesus Hanging on the Cross Between Two Thieves.
... might tear open the wounds in his hands and feet ... his countless wounds, that he bowed
his head, and remained ... appeared to be exhausted, some by grief, and others ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter xli jesus hanging on.htm

The Nailing of Jesus to the Cross.
... by putting the crown of thorns again upon his head. ... she appeared as if almost fainting
from grief, and Magdalen ... for the nails which pierced his hands, as there ...
/.../chapter xxxviii the nailing of.htm

Jesus Condemned to be Crucified.
... in his purple garment, his crown of thorns upon his head, and his hands manacled,
when ... which our loving Saviour was reduced, and the agonising grief of his ...
/.../chapter xxix jesus condemned to.htm

Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Words of Jesus on the Cross.
... He raised his weary head, which was still crowned with ... At the moment of death his
hands, which were at one ... What words can, alas, express the deep grief of the ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter xlv fifth sixth and.htm

God's People Delivered.
... No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head, but a ... He sees the vines that his own
hands have trained, the ... tears from all faces; every cause of grief has been ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /40 gods people delivered.htm

God's People Delivered
... No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head; but a ... He sees the vines that his own
hands have trained, the ... tears from all faces; every cause of grief has been ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 40 gods people delivered.htm

Concerning the Passion of Christ, and Its Old Testament ...
... [1351] "They dug," He says, "my hands and feet ... and I will lay upon your loins sackcloth,
and upon every head baldness; and I will make the grief like that ...
/.../tertullian/an answer to the jews/chapter x concerning the passion of.htm

A Description of Some Parts of Ancient Jerusalem.
... of the Cross, as also the sacred crowned head, which had ... and they were continually
uplifting their hands towards Heaven ... way the excess of their grief and anguish ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter xlix a description of.htm

The Scourging of Jesus.
... his Mother, who was standing overcome with grief; this look ... to scourge his sacred
body from head to foot. ... his knees, and having bound his hands tightly into ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter xxii the scourging of.htm

Calvary
... They were filled with grief, and bowed down with disappointed ... The two thieves wrestled
in the hands of those ... a supporting hand beneath His wounded head, and to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 78 calvary.htm