Jeremiah 48:37

37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

Jeremiah 48:37 in Other Translations

37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

37 "For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth.

37 The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.

37 "Everywhere you look are signs of mourning: heads shaved, beards cut, Hands scratched and bleeding, clothes ripped and torn.

37 Indeed, every head is bald and every beard clipped; on every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist.

Jeremiah 48:37 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 48:37

For every head [shall be] bald, and every beard clipped
Men, in times of mourning, used to pluck off the hairs of their head till they made them bald, and shaved their beards; which, as Kimchi says, were the glory of their faces; see ( Isaiah 15:2 ) ; upon all the hands shall be cuttings:
it was usual with the Heathens to make incisions in the several parts of their bodies, particularly in their hands and arms, with their nails, or with knives, in token of mourning; which are forbidden the Israelites, ( Deuteronomy 14:1 ) ; and upon the loins sackcloth;
this is a well known custom for mourners, to put off their clothes, and put on sackcloth; all these things are mentioned, to show how great was the mourning of Moab for the calamities of it.

Jeremiah 48:37 In-Context

35 In Moab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods,” declares the LORD.

36 “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.

37 Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

38 On all the roofs in Moab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Moab like a jar that no one wants,” declares the LORD.

39 “How shattered she is! How they wail! How Moab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her.”

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 15:2; S Jeremiah 41:5; Ezekiel 27:31; Ezekiel 29:18
• 2. S Leviticus 19:27; S 2 Samuel 10:4
• 3. S Genesis 37:34; S Isaiah 3:24; Jeremiah 16:6; Amos 8:10