Ezekiel 7:18 kjv
They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
Ezekiel 7:18 nkjv
They will also be girded with sackcloth; Horror will cover them; Shame will be on every face, Baldness on all their heads.
Ezekiel 7:18 niv
They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Every face will be covered with shame, and every head will be shaved.
Ezekiel 7:18 esv
They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and baldness on all their heads.
Ezekiel 7:18 nlt
They will dress themselves in burlap;
horror and shame will cover them.
They will shave their heads
in sorrow and remorse.
Ezekiel 7 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel 7:18 | They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and all faces shall be ashamed, and all heads shall be bald. | Judgment/Mourning |
| Jeremiah 4:8 | For this prepare your hearts with sackcloth, gird yourselves, and lament; for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. | National Calamity/Mourning |
| Isaiah 22:12 | And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to a bald head, and to girding with sackcloth: | Divine Judgment/Mourning |
| 1 Kings 20:31 | And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes about their heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. | Humiliation/Seeking Mercy |
| Joel 1:8 | Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. | National Grief/Mourning |
| Revelation 6:12 | And 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; | Cosmic Judgment/Symbolism of Mourning |
| Jeremiah 13:11 | For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear. | Symbolic Action/Loss of Identity |
| Leviticus 13:45 | And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be put upon, and his head bare, and he shall cover his lip, and cry, Unclean, Unclean. | Uncleanness/Public Declaration |
| Amos 8:10 | And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and upon all heads shall be baldness; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. | Divine Retribution/Mourning |
| Nahum 2:10 | She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and all faces are waxed pale. | Consequences of Destruction |
| Zechariah 7:3 | And to speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month for these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me? | True Repentance vs. Ritual Fasting |
| Acts 13:50 | But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persection against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. | Persecution/Exile |
| Galatians 3:27 | For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. | Transformation/New Identity |
| Colossians 3:12 | Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; | Christian Virtues/Spiritual Garb |
| 1 Peter 5:5 | Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the proud. | Humility/Submission |
| Hebrews 12:14 | Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: | Holiness/Pursuit of Peace |
| Philippians 3:21 | Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself, so that he might subdue all things unto himself. | Resurrection/Glorification |
| 2 Corinthians 5:3 | If so be that we, being clothed, shall not be found naked. | Spiritual State/Redemption |
Ezekiel 7 verses
Ezekiel 7 18 Meaning
The inhabitants of the land will put on sackcloth. Inwardly and outwardly, everyone will mourn. They will be covered in shame and grief due to the impending judgment from the Lord.
Ezekiel 7 18 Context
Ezekiel chapter 7 prophesies the complete and final destruction of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. The prophet is conveying God's unyielding judgment against their persistent idolatry, injustice, and rebellion. This verse specifically describes the pervasive mourning and shame that will afflict the people as they face the devastating consequences of God's wrath. The sackcloth signifies deep sorrow and repentance, though it's a lament brought on by unavoidable calamity rather than genuine, pre-emptive godly sorrow. The nation has reached a point of no return, and the coming desolation will leave no one untouched, resulting in widespread grief and despair.
Ezekiel 7 18 Word Analysis
- They: Refers to the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, the people of Israel.
- shall also: Indicates a continuation of the judgments previously mentioned, with this being another consequence.
- gird themselves: A verb indicating the act of wrapping something around the waist. In this context, it refers to putting on sackcloth.
- with sackcloth: Sackcloth (Hebrew: sāq, סַק) was a coarse, rough cloth made from animal hair, typically goat hair. It was universally recognized as a sign of mourning, grief, penance, and humiliation.
- and horror: This word (Hebrew: ēymāh, אֵימָה) signifies dread, terror, amazement, and even the astonishment that comes with extreme fear.
- shall cover them: The terror will be so pervasive that it will envelop them, affecting them from all sides.
- and all faces: Refers to every person, emphasizing the universality of the experience.
- shall be ashamed: Indicates disgrace, dishonor, and a sense of humiliation. Their confidence and pride will be shattered.
- and all heads: Similar to "all faces," this stresses the complete pervasiveness of the shame.
- shall be bald: To make oneself bald (Hebrew: qāraḥ, קָרַח) was an ancient sign of mourning and intense grief, often done by shaving or tearing out one's hair. It signified the utter desolation of one's condition.
Words Group Analysis
- "gird themselves with sackcloth": This phrase paints a vivid picture of national grief. It's not just individual sadness, but a collective, outward expression of extreme distress and remorse caused by the overwhelming disaster. It symbolizes the removal of all finery and adornment, replacing it with the coarsest of fabrics, a stark visual of their ruined state.
- "horror shall cover them, and all faces shall be ashamed, and all heads shall be bald": This is a powerful tripartite expression of the people's reaction to the impending judgment. "Horror" captures the internal emotional state of dread. "Shame" describes the public display of humiliation and disgrace. "Baldness" represents the depth of their sorrow, a physical manifestation of profound grief, so intense that it strips away any pride or adornment. Together, these elements describe a state of complete brokenness and despair.
Ezekiel 7 18 Bonus Section
The practice of tearing one's clothes and making oneself bald was common in ancient Near Eastern cultures as an expression of profound grief, as seen in rituals surrounding death or catastrophic events. The prophets frequently employed these symbols to convey the severity of God's displeasure. The completeness of the description—all faces, all heads—emphasizes that no segment of society will be spared from the impending judgment. This foretells not just military defeat, but a spiritual and emotional desolation, a national crisis where their identity and pride are stripped away. The New Testament echo of "putting on" spiritual garments like humility and mercy (Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5) contrasts sharply with this earthly "putting on" of sackcloth, highlighting the difference between seeking divine favor through genuine spiritual character and reacting with helpless despair to judgment already unleashed.
Ezekiel 7 18 Commentary
Ezekiel 7:18 vividly portrays the overwhelming shame and terror that will befall the inhabitants of Judah due to God's impending judgment. The use of sackcloth is a well-established symbol of deep mourning and repentance. However, in this context, it's a response to unavoidable calamity, signifying a total loss of security and dignity. The "horror" that covers them indicates pervasive dread, and the shame on "all faces" and baldness of "all heads" underscore the universality and intensity of their grief and humiliation. This verse highlights the devastating consequences of prolonged disobedience and the absolute nature of God's judgment when repentance is absent. It serves as a stark warning against spiritual complacency and rebellion, illustrating that even the outward symbols of sorrow are a precursor to utter ruin when not accompanied by true repentance.