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Tearing Of Clothes
Why People in the Bible Tore Their Clothes
Learn about
this ancient expression of grief and despair
Sam O’Neal
How do you express grief when
you experience something extremely sad or painful?
There are several different
options in Western culture today.
For example, many people
choose to wear black when attending a funeral. Or, a widow may wear a veil for
some time after her husband passes away in order to cover her face and express
sadness.
Others choose to wear black
armbands as a sign of grief, bitterness, or even anger.
Similarly,
when a President passes away or a tragedy strikes one part of our nation, we
often lower the American flag to half-mast as a sign of sadness and respect.
All of these are cultural
expressions of grief and sadness.
In the Ancient Near East, one
of the primary ways people expressed their grief was by tearing their clothes.
This practice is common in
the Bible, and it can be confusing at times to those who don't understand the
symbolism behind the action.
To avoid confusion, then,
let's take a deeper look at some of the stories in which people tore their
clothes.
Examples in the Scriptures
Reuben
is the first person recorded in the Bible as tearing his clothes.
He was the oldest son of
Jacob, and one of the 11 brothers who betrayed Joseph and sold him as a
slave to traders bound for Egypt.
Reuben wanted to save
Joseph but was unwilling to stand up to his other siblings.
Reuben planned to rescue
Joseph in secret from the cistern (or pit) the brothers had thrown him into.
But
after finding out that Joseph had been sold as a slave, he reacted in a
passionate display of emotion:
“29 When
Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his
clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The
boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?” Genesis 37:29-30
Only a few verses later,
Jacob - the father of all 12 children, including Joseph and Reuben -- responded
in a similar way when he was tricked into believing that his favorite son had
been slain by a wild animal:
“34 Then
Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many
days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,
but he refused to be comforted. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I will continue to mourn until
I join my son in the grave.’ So his father wept for him.” Genesis 37:34-35
Jacob and his sons weren't
the only folks in the Bible who practiced this particular method of expressing
grief. In fact, many people are recorded as tearing their clothes in a variety
of situations, including the following:
· Joshua and the Israelite elders tore their clothes and
fell face-down in front of the Ark of the Covenant after learning that they
were defeated in battle because an Israelite named Achan had disobeyed God's
command (see Joshua 7:1-9).
· Jephthah
(one of the Israelite judges) tore his clothes when he realized his rash vow
would result in the death of his beloved daughter (see
Judges 11:29-35).
· David
and all of his soldiers tore their clothes when they heard that Saul and
Jonathan had been killed in battle (see 2 Samuel 11:1-11).
· Ahab,
a king of Israel, tore his clothes and put on sackcloth when he learned that
God planned to punish him and everyone he loved (see 1 Kings
21:20-28).
· Ezra
the scribe tore his clothes and pulled all of the hair from his head and beard
when he learned the Israelites of his day had disobeyed God and married with
those who worshipped idols (see Ezra 9:1-4).
But Why?
What
was it about tearing one's clothes that signified deep grief or sadness? Why
did they do it?
The answer has everything to
do with the economics of ancient days. Because the Israelites had an
agrarian society, clothing was a very valuable commodity.
Nothing was mass-produced.
Clothes were time-intensive and expensive, which meant that most people in
those days only had a very limited wardrobe.
For that reason, people who
tore their clothes were showing just how upset they felt inside.
By
damaging one of their more important and expensive possessions, they reflected
the depth of their emotional pain.
This idea was magnified when
people chose to put on "sackcloth" after tearing their regular
clothes.
Sackcloth was a coarse and
scratchy material that was very uncomfortable.
As with tearing their
garments, people put on sackcloth as a way to externally display the discomfort
and pain they felt inside.
Sam O'Neal
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