Ezekiel 27 31

Ezekiel 27:31 kjv

And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

Ezekiel 27:31 nkjv

They will shave themselves completely bald because of you, Gird themselves with sackcloth, And weep for you With bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

Ezekiel 27:31 niv

They will shave their heads because of you and will put on sackcloth. They will weep over you with anguish of soul and with bitter mourning.

Ezekiel 27:31 esv

they make themselves bald for you and put sackcloth on their waist, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul, with bitter mourning.

Ezekiel 27:31 nlt

They shave their heads in grief for you
and dress themselves in burlap.
They weep for you with bitter anguish
and deep mourning.

Ezekiel 27 verses

Ezekiel 27 31 Meaning

Ezekiel 27:31 vividly describes the profound and widespread grief of those who were once dependent on Tyre's vast commercial empire. Witnessing or hearing of Tyre's complete destruction, these maritime merchants and regional rulers would perform traditional rituals of intense mourning. They would shave their heads bald and clothe themselves in coarse sackcloth, external symbols of their utter despair. Furthermore, their lament would stem from the very core of their being, marked by an acute "bitterness of soul" and expressed through agonizing, "bitter wailing," signifying a deep, unfeigned sorrow over the loss of their prosperous partner and the shattering of their economic stability.

Ezekiel 27 31 Context

Ezekiel chapter 27 is a powerful dirge, or funeral lament, for the city of Tyre, a major Phoenician maritime and commercial power. This chapter follows prophecies in Ezekiel 26 detailing Tyre's destruction, linking it to Nebuchadnezzar's siege. The city is personified as a magnificent ship built of the finest materials, laden with precious goods from all over the known world, and manned by skilled mariners. Tyre's immense wealth, extensive trade networks, and apparent invincibility are meticulously described, showcasing its global reach and opulence. Verse 31 occurs towards the climax of this lament, after the "ship" of Tyre has metaphorically sunk (Eze 27:26-30). It depicts the ultimate reaction of the international community – the mariners, traders, and rulers from various nations who had previously engaged in lucrative commerce with Tyre. Their dramatic mourning signifies not just the loss of a city, but the catastrophic collapse of a global economic hub, with profound implications for their own livelihoods and political stability. The message to Ezekiel's exiled audience in Babylon served as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty over all nations and a warning against pride and reliance on earthly prosperity.

Ezekiel 27 31 Word analysis

• They shall shave themselves bald for you:

  • shave themselves bald (Heb. יְקָרְח֤וּ קָרְחָה֙, yəqā·rə·ḥū qār·ḥāh): The verb qārach means "to be bald, to make bald," and qarḥah is "baldness." This is a redundant expression for emphasis, signifying a complete and deliberate act of balding. Shaving the head bald was a widespread ancient Near Eastern custom signifying extreme grief, humiliation, or sorrow. For example, nations like Moab and Judah also practiced it during lament (Isa 15:2, Mic 1:16). While the Mosaic Law generally prohibited Israelites from this for the dead (Lev 21:5, Deut 14:1), indicating a distinction from pagan rituals, here it highlights the deeply felt despair of these gentile nations over Tyre. It's a total, visible sign of their utter devastation, contrasting with their previous glory and wealth.

• and gird themselves with sackcloth:

  • gird themselves (Heb. וְחָגְר֣וּ, wə·ḥāḡ·rū): From ḥāḡar, "to bind, gird."
  • sackcloth (Heb. שַׂקִּ֔ים, śaq·qîm): A coarse, rough fabric made from goat hair, worn directly against the skin. Wearing sackcloth was a universal sign of mourning, distress, penitence, or humility across the ancient Near East and among Israelites. Prophets wore it (Isa 20:2), as did kings (2 Kgs 19:1) and entire populations (Jon 3:5) in times of deep trouble or repentance. Its discomfort served as a physical expression of inner anguish. For the kings and merchants tied to Tyre, it represented their stark, humbled reality after Tyre's downfall, stripped of their finery and prestige.

• and they shall weep for you in bitterness of soul:

  • weep (Heb. וּבָכ֤וּ, ū·ḇā·ḵū): From bākāh, "to weep, to lament." Indicates the emotional act.
  • for you (Heb. עָלַ֙יִךְ֙, ‘ā·la·yiḵ): Literally "over you," signifying the object of their lamentation, which is Tyre.
  • in bitterness of soul (Heb. בְּמֶ֣רֶר נֶ֔פֶשׁ, bə·me·rer ne·p̄eš): Merer denotes intense bitterness, related to mārar "to be bitter, grievous." Nephesh refers to the "soul, life, inner being," often denoting emotions and innermost self. This phrase emphasizes that their sorrow is not merely superficial or ritualistic, but a deep-seated, agonizing grief originating from their innermost being. It speaks to a profound existential crisis caused by Tyre's collapse, impacting them personally and internally, similar to Naomi's lament "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me" (Ruth 1:20).

• with bitter wailing:

  • wailing (Heb. מִסְפֵּ֥ד, mis·pēḏ): "Lamentation, funeral dirge." Often accompanied by professional mourners or public demonstrations of sorrow. This refers to the vocal and expressive aspect of mourning.
  • bitter (Heb. מָרִֽיר׃, mā·rîr): An adjective, meaning "bitter, fierce, grievous," intensifying the nature of the wailing. It underscores the harshness and profound pain conveyed by their vocal expressions of lament. This wailing would be loud and filled with sorrow, echoing the internal "bitterness of soul."

Ezekiel 27 31 Bonus section

• Echoes in Prophetic Judgment: The extreme mourning rituals depicted for Tyre are recurrent motifs in prophetic literature concerning God's judgment upon other proud nations and even apostate Israel (e.g., Isa 15:2 for Moab, Jer 48:37 for Moab, Amos 8:10 for Israel). This places Tyre's downfall within a larger pattern of divine retribution against arrogance and ungodliness.
• Literary Allusion and Fulfillment: This vivid lament for Tyre finds a remarkable parallel and ultimate fulfillment in the Book of Revelation, specifically the lament over "Babylon the Great" (Rev 18:9-19). There, kings, merchants, and shipmasters also weep and mourn over the fall of a mighty commercial city, recognizing their own profound loss, underscoring the enduring theological lesson about the fleeting nature of worldly power and wealth in the face of God's eternal justice.
• The Loss of "Beauty": The baldness, in a society that valued elaborate hairstyles, especially among the wealthy and elite, represents a profound loss of aesthetic beauty, social status, and personal pride. It is an inversion of Tyre's previously celebrated splendor, further emphasizing the depth of its downfall and the subsequent humiliation of its associates.

Ezekiel 27 31 Commentary

Ezekiel 27:31 powerfully crystallizes the global fallout from Tyre's destruction, shifting focus from the city's material glory to the abject despair of its beneficiaries. The stark imagery of shaved heads and sackcloth portrays a stripping away of former prosperity and dignity, universal signs of utter desolation in the ancient world. This isn't just an external performance; the language "bitterness of soul" and "bitter wailing" reveals deep, visceral agony. It highlights the ephemeral nature of security founded on human achievement and wealth, as even the most intricate and formidable commercial empire can be brought to nothing by divine judgment. The sorrow of these allied nations serves as a somber illustration of the fragility of human institutions when opposed to the sovereignty of God, whose will alone establishes and overturns.