Bible Strands
Genesis 37:34
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jacob acts alone at the moment he examines the bloodied robe and concludes Joseph is dead. He initiates a prolonged public expression of grief without addressing anyone else.
The words — וַ/יִּקְרַ֤ע (va/i.yik.Ra') means "and he tore," describing the violent ripping of garments. שַׂ֖ק (sak) translates literally as "sackcloth," the coarse fabric placed directly on his loins.
The thread — This physical mourning practice recurs when Reuben tears his own clothes at the pit (Genesis 37:29) and when Joshua and the elders tear theirs before the ark (Joshua 7:6). David later commands his troops to tear clothes and wear sackcloth for Abner (2 Samuel 3:31).
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that genuine grief manifests in deliberate, culturally specific acts of self-humiliation and public lament. It requires the reader to recognize that mourning is a sustained posture rather than a fleeting emotional reaction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Cross-references
- Genesis 37:29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
- 2 Samuel 3:31 Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.
- Joshua 7:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
- 2 Samuel 1:11 Then David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same.
- 1 Kings 20:31 Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
- 1 Kings 21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
- 2 Kings 19:1 On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
- 1 Chronicles 21:16 When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
- Ezra 9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
- Nehemiah 9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.