Ezekiel 27:31 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 27:31 mean?

Ezekiel 27:31 describes people mourning deeply for the city of Tyre, using strong outward signs of grief like shaving their heads, wearing sackcloth, and crying with intense sorrow and loud wailing. The verse shows the depth of their sadness and the public display of their mourning.

In this chapter, God speaks through Ezekiel to announce judgment on Tyre, a wealthy and powerful trading city. The people mourning here are likely those connected to Tyre—either its own people or neighboring nations who depended on its trade. The verse uses vivid language to show how shocking and devastating Tyre’s fall would be for everyone around it.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 27:31

• "utterly bald" (קָרְחוּ קָרְחָה, qarchu qarḥah): The phrase uses repetition for emphasis, showing complete shaving of the head, which was a common sign of extreme mourning in the ancient Near East.
• "gird" (חָגְרוּ, ḥagru): This word means to wrap or tie something around oneself, here referring to putting on sackcloth, a rough fabric worn to show grief or repentance.
• "bitterness" (מָרָה, marah) and "bitter" (מָרָה, marah): The same Hebrew word is repeated, highlighting the intensity of the sorrow. It points to a grief that is sharp and deeply felt, not just a surface emotion.
• "wailing" (מִסְפֵּד, misped): This word refers to loud, public lamentation, not just quiet weeping, showing that the mourning is both emotional and openly expressed.

Why Ezekiel 27:31 matters

• The verse clears up that the mourning for Tyre is not just personal sadness but a public, communal event involving dramatic cultural expressions of grief.
• Ezekiel 27:31 emphasizes how central Tyre was to the region; its fall would send shockwaves far beyond its own borders, affecting many people’s lives and livelihoods.
• The language connects to the wider theme of Ezekiel 27, which is a lament for Tyre, showing how even the greatest cities can fall and be mourned by the world around them.