1 Kings 21:27

27 Therefore when Ahab had heard these words, he rent his cloth (he tore his cloak), and covered his flesh with an hair-shirt, and he fasted, and slept in a sackcloth, and went with the head cast down.

1 Kings 21:27 Meaning and Commentary

Ver. 27 And it came to pass when Ahab heard these words
Delivered in ( 1 Kings 21:21-24 ) ,

that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon, his flesh,
tore off his clothes, and stripped himself of all, even of his very shirt, and put sackcloth on his bare flesh, a coarse cloth made of hair, and such as sacks are made with:

and fasted,
how long it is not said:

and lay in sackcloth;
in the night on his bed, would have no linen on him day nor night:

and went softly:
step by step, as persons mourning, grieving, and pensive, do; the Targum renders it "barefoot", and so Jarchi.

1 Kings 21:27 In-Context

25 Therefore none other was such as Ahab, that was sold to do evil in the sight of the Lord; for Jezebel his wife excited him thereto; (And there was no one else like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil before the Lord; for Jezebel his wife stirred him to do it;)
26 and he was made abominable, in so much that he followed the idols that (the) Amorites made, which men the Lord wasted from (before) the face of the sons of Israel.
27 Therefore when Ahab had heard these words, he rent his cloth (he tore his cloak), and covered his flesh with an hair-shirt, and he fasted, and slept in a sackcloth, and went with the head cast down.
28 And the word of the Lord was made to Elijah of Tishbe, and said,
29 Whether thou hast not seen Ahab made low before me? Therefore for he is made low for the cause of me, I shall not bring in evil in his days, but in the days of his son I shall bring in evil to his house. (Hast thou seen that Ahab hath made himself low, or hath humbled himself, before me? And so because he hath made himself low, I shall not bring in evil in his days, but later I shall bring in evil upon his household, or his family, yea, in the days of his son.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.