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Sackcloth

From: Concise Bible Dictionary: S

By: George A. Morrish

Narrator: Chris Genthree

Duration: 1min

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A rough cloth made of hair, of which sacks and coarse clothing was made. When put on as a symbol of sorrow or repentance it was worn next the skin, and not taken off at night: it was often associated with ashes (1 Kings 21:27²⁷And 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. (1 Kings 21:27); 2 Kings 6:30³⁰And 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. (2 Kings 6:30); Job 16:15¹⁵I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust. (Job 16:15); Joel 1:13¹³Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. (Joel 1:13); Rev. 6:12¹²And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; (Revelation 6:12)).

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Independence Arch and Peking Pass, Seoul, Korea—mourner in sackcloth in foreground.

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Concise Bible Dictionary: S

• Sabachthani

• Sabbath-Day's Journey

• Sabbatical Year

• Sabta, Sabtah

• Sabtecha, Sabtechah

• Sackcloth

• Sala, Salah

• Salathiel, Shealtiel

• Salcah, Salchah

• Salma, Salmon