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Isaiah 50:3 — Word Study

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WLCאַלְבִּ֥ישׁ שָׁמַ֖יִם קַדְר֑וּת וְשַׂ֖ק אָשִׂ֥ים כְּסוּתָֽם׃ ס

BSAI clothelâbash [cause to be dressed] the heavensshâmayim [the visible universe, the abode of God] in blackqadrûwth [darkness, gloom] and makesûwm sackclothsaq [a coarse cloth, mourning attire] their coveringkᵉçûwth [a garment, a robe of humility]

Word
Listen & take awayIsaiah 50
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 3 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ke.su.Tam) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Isaiah 50:3quick helps
In a sentenceThe speaker declares their power to envelop the heavens in darkness, symbolizing mourning.
Who is speakingThe Lord, expressing sovereignty over creation.
Where we areIn a poetic declaration about God's control over the universe.
The hard wordאַלְבִּ֥ישׁ
Take awayGod's authority extends to the heavens and their appearance.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbלָבֵשׁ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

1 of 6 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Isaiah 50:3

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Sovereignty of Godgenerated

2Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
3I clothe the heavens in black and make sackcloth their covering.”
4The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.

Isaiah 50:3 reveals God's authority over creation, illustrating His power to clothe the heavens in darkness. This verse is part of a larger passage where God speaks about His ability to deliver and sustain, contrasting His might with human frailty. The surrounding verses emphasize God's omnipotence and the themes of judgment and redemption.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Exodus 10:21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”
2Psalm 18:11–12He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
3Matthew 27:45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
4Revelation 6:12And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.Exodus 10:21 Psalm 18:11–12 Matthew 27:45 Revelation 6:12

The Key Word אַלְבִּ֥ישׁ, 'al.Bishgenerated

The Hebrew word לָבֵשׁ (*labash*) means to clothe or dress. It indicates the act of wrapping or putting on a garment, which can be understood both literally and figuratively. In this verse, it signifies God's action of enveloping the heavens in darkness, suggesting a profound transformation of the visible universe.

The Hiphil stem indicates causation, meaning God is not merely dressing but causing the heavens to be dressed in darkness. This highlights His active role in creation and His authority over the cosmos.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In the Berean Standard Bible, the phrase is rendered as clothe, which is consistent across the KJV and ASV.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb is אַלְבִּ֥ישׁ, I clothe, which governs the entire sentence. It is followed by a noun phrase שָׁמַ֖יִם the heavens and a second object phrase קַדְר֑וּת darkness, indicating what the heavens are clothed in.

The structure is straightforward, with the finite verb first, followed by its direct objects, which emphasizes the action of God dressing the heavens in a specific manner.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates שָׁמַ֖יִם as οὐρανὸν (*ouranon*), which refers to the heavens or sky. This choice maintains the meaning of the original Hebrew, indicating a consistent understanding of the heavens as God's abode.

The Greek word σκότος (*skotos*) for darkness aligns closely with the Hebrew קַדְרוּת, emphasizing the somber quality of the covering.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Isaiah 50:3 shows God declaring His power to clothe the heavens in darkness and make sackcloth their covering. This imagery signifies mourning and emphasizes God's control over the universe.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for God to clothe the heavens in darkness?

It signifies God's authority to change the appearance of the universe, reflecting a state of mourning or judgment.

Why is sackcloth mentioned in this verse?

Sackcloth symbolizes humility and mourning, indicating a serious tone in God's proclamation.

How does this verse relate to God's power?

It illustrates God's sovereignty over creation, showing that He can alter the heavens as He wills.

What is the significance of the imagery used in this verse?

The imagery conveys deep themes of judgment, mourning, and transformation, highlighting God's active role in the world.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I see God's authority in the world around me?
  2. How can I understand the significance of darkness in my own life?
  3. What does wearing sackcloth symbolize, and how can I apply that to my own expressions of humility?
  4. How does this verse challenge my understanding of God's power and presence?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early interpretations of this verse highlight its themes of God's sovereignty and the imagery of mourning. Quotations from Jerome and Theodoret of Cyrus illustrate these points.

JeromeCOMMENTARY ON Isaiah 13:27 c. 347–420
Everything that is above us we call “heaven,” just as the winged things that are in the air are called “celestial” and the enemy powers are called “celestial” since they shuttle between heaven and earth.… Therefore,
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 50 →
Theodoret of CyrusCOMMENTARY ON Isaiah 16:50.3 c. 393–460
“I will clothe the sky with shadows, and I will change its cover to be like mourning cloth.” He has done this and will do it.
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 50 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Isaiah 50:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

I clothe the heavens with blackness,.... With gross and thick darkness; perhaps referring to the three days' darkness the Egyptians were in, Exodus 10:12, or with thick and black clouds, as in

Read John Gill on Isaiah 50 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. I clothe the heavens with blackness - another of the judgments on Egypt to be repeated hereafter on the last enemy of God's people (Exodus 10:21).

Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 50 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

I clothe the heavens with blackness; or, I will or can clothe &c. What I once did in Egypt, when I drew black curtains before all the heavenly lights, and caused an unparalleled and amazing darkness for three days together, to the great terror of mine enemies, so I can and will do still when it is necessary to save my people. And therefore you have no reason to distrust me. I make sackcloth their covering; I cover them with thick and dark clouds, black as sackcloth, as is said, , or as that stuff of which the tents of Kedar were made, . From this and some other expressions it appears that they wore a black sackcloth, which also was most suitable to the state of mourners, by whom it was used.

Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 50 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Isaiah 50:3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.Ver. 3. I clothe the heavens with blackness.] I did so in that three days’ darkness in Egypt, and shall do so again at the time of my passion. I can therefore, doubtless, deliver you, not only from Babylon, but from sin, death, and hell, by giving you an entrance into heaven by the waters of baptism, and by bringing you out of darkness into my marvellous light. And make sackcloth their covering.] Ita ut coelum pullata veste obtensum fuisse dixeris. So Revelation 6:12.

Read John Trapp on Isaiah 50 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. Comp. Exodus 10:21 with blackness] with murky storm-clouds. The word, which occurs only here, denotes (like sackcloth in the next clause) the garb of mourning. Cf. Revelation 6:12. The strophe ends somewhat abruptly, and the thought is perhaps incomplete.

Read Cambridge on Isaiah 50 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I clothe the heavens with blackness - With the dark clouds of a tempest - perhaps with an allusion to the remarkable clouds and tempests that encircled the brow of Sinai when he gave the law.

Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 50 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

3. I clothe the heavens with blackness — As at Sinai, but I cause the terror stricken still to live, and lay before them my commands. Should not such a husband, such a father, helper, friend, be worthy of confidence?

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Isaiah 50 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

I clothe the heavens in black and make sackcloth their covering.”

WEBWorld English Bible2000

I clothe the heavens with blackness. I make sackcloth their covering.”

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

I clothe the heavens in black and make sackcloth their covering.”

NETBNew English Translation2006

I can clothe the sky in darkness; I can cover it with sackcloth.”

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

RVARevised Version, American1894

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

I clothe the heauens with darkenesse, and make a sacke their couering.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

I clothe the heavens [with] blackness, And sackcloth I make their covering.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

I clothe the heavens [with] blackness, || And I make their covering sackcloth.”

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

I can clothe the heavens with blackness, and I can make sackcloth their garment.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

I clothe the sky with darkness; I cover it with sackcloth.”

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

I will clothe the heavens with darkness, and will make sackcloth their covering.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I can make the heavens go dark, covering them with sackcloth like they're in mourning.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

By me the heavens are clothed with black, and I make haircloth their robe.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseverbאַלְבִּ֥ישׁI.clotheobjectשָׁמַ֖יִם[the].heavenssecond objectקַדְר֑וּתdarknessוְandclauseobjectשַׂ֖קsackclothverbאָשִׂ֥יםI.makenoun phrase · second objectכְּסוּתָֽcoveringםtheir

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and the Dead Sea Scrolls all convey the same essential meaning. The Septuagint matches four out of six words from the Hebrew, while the Dead Sea Scrolls preserve the wording closely, affirming the consistency of the text across these witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

אַלְבִּ֥ישׁ שָׁמַ֖יִם קַדְר֑וּת וְשַׂ֖ק אָשִׂ֥ים כְּסוּתָֽם׃ ס

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
שָׁמַ֖יִםοὐρανὸνקַדְר֑וּתσκότοςאָשִׂ֥יםθήσωכְּסוּתָֽם׃ סπεριβόλαιον

4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Qisaaa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

אלבישה שמים קדרות ושק אשים כסות׳ם

6 words on the leather.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Isaiah 50:3לָבֵשׁI clotheI clotheלָבֵשׁשָׁמַי[the] heave[the] heavensשָׁמַיקַדְרוּתdarknessdarknessקַדְרוּתשַׂקand sackcloand sackclothשַׂקשׂוּםI makeI makeשׂוּםכְּסוּתcovering thcovering theirכְּסוּתקָדַרbe darkbe darkקָדַרשָׁקַקto rushto rushשָׁקַקכָּסָהto coverto coverכָּסָהבַּדlinenlinenבַּדשִׁרְיָהlancelanceשִׁרְיָהעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףכּוֹכָבstarstarכּוֹכָבאֵ֫פֶרashesashesאֵ֫פֶרחָגַרto girdto girdחָגַרשַׁמָּהhorror: dehorror: destroyשַׁמָּהשְׁמָמָהDesolateDesolateשְׁמָמָהלְבוּשׁclothingclothingלְבוּשׁבְּלִיwithoutwithoutבְּלִי
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Isaiah 50:3

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

I clothe [the] heavens darkness and sackcloth I make covering their
אַלְבִּ֥ישׁ'al.Bish I clothe H3847 Verb · Hiphil · imperfect first person common singular
110× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To clothe means to wrap something around or put on a garment. In the Bible, it can be used literally or figuratively, as in putting on clothes or being clothed with a certain attitude.
Amplified meaning
cause to be dressed
Tyndale gloss
to clothe
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word לָבֵשׁ (*labash*) means to put on or wear clothing, and it can refer to both literal and figurative clothing. It is built from a primitive root meaning to wrap around. The entries cover various forms, including Qal, Pual, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of dressing or being clothed. The word is also noted for its use in a figurative sense, such as being clothed with a spirit.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לָבֵשׁ, לָבַשׁ vb. put on (a garment), wear, clothe, be clothed

Qal

lit. put on (one’s own) garment; = wear (more or less habitually)

very oft. fig., put on, be clothed with

lit. put on

once

clothed with

and the spirit of י׳ clothed itself with Gideon

Pu. arrayed

Hiph. clothe, array with

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3847 לָבֵשׁ, לָבַשׁ put on (a garment), wear, clothe, be clothed

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3847 labash law-bash'

or labesh {law-bashe'}; a primitive root; properly, wrap

around, i.e. (by implication) to put on a garment or clothe

(oneself, or another), literally or figuratively:--(in)

apparel, arm, array (self), clothe (self), come upon, put (on,

upon), wear.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לָבֵשׁ (la.vash) — to clothe.

1) to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to put on clothes, be clothed, wear

1a2) to put on, be clothed with (fig.)

1b) (Pual) to be fully clothed

1c) (Hiphil) to clothe, array with, dress

Aramaic equivalent: le.vash (לְבֵשׁ "to clothe" H3848)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Imperf-1cs — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect first person common singular
HVhi1cs
I clothe [the] heavens darkness and sackcloth I make covering their
שָׁמַ֖יִםsha.Ma.yim [the] heavens H8064 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for heaven or sky, it refers to the visible universe and the abode of God. It is often used in the Bible to describe the dwelling place of celestial bodies.
Amplified meaning
the visible universe, the abode of God
Tyndale gloss
heaven
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (*shamayim*) is a dual noun meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' It refers to the visible heavens where celestial bodies are found, as well as the abode of God. The dual form may suggest both the arch of the sky and the higher ether. It is noted in contexts such as Elijah's ascent in a whirlwind.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

phrases

as abode of God

Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8064 שָׁמַי only pl. שָׁמַיִם heavens, sky . . visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

. phrases

. . as abode of God

. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim

dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused

root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well

as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies

revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) — heaven.

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hev'-'nz (shamayim; ouranoi): On the physical heavens see ASTRONOMY; WORLD. Above these, in popular conception, were the celestial heavens, the abode of God and of the hosts of angels (Ps 11:4; 103:19-21; Isa 66:1; Re 4:2; 5:11; compare Da 7:10), though it was recognized that Yahweh's presence was not confined to any region (1Ki 8:27). Later Judaism reckoned seven heavens. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as caught up into "the third heaven," which he evidently identifies with Paradise (2Co 12:2).

See HEAVENLY.

I clothe [the] heavens darkness and sackcloth I make covering their
קַדְר֑וּתkad.Rut darkness H6940 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
1× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means darkness or gloom, describing a state of blackness or shadow. It's used in the Bible to describe a lack of light or a somber atmosphere.
Amplified meaning
darkness, gloom
Tyndale gloss
darkness
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קַדְרוּת (qadruwth) refers to darkness or gloom. It is derived from the root word for duskiness, indicating a sense of blackness. The term appears in Isaiah 50:3, highlighting its use in the context of darkness.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קַדְרוּת n.f. darkness, gloom;—Is 50:3

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6940 קַדְרוּת darkness, gloom

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6940 qadruwth kad-rooth'

from 6937; duskiness:--blackness.

see HEBREW for 06937

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קַדְרוּת (qad.rut) — darkness.

darkness, gloom

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Darkness

The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21) is described as darkness “which may be felt.” It covered “all the land of Egypt,” so that “they saw not one another.” It did not extend to the land of Goshen (ver. 23).

When Jesus hung upon the cross (Matt. 27:45; Luke 23:44), from the “sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”

On Mount Sinai, Moses (Ex. 20:21) “drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” This was the “thick cloud upon the mount” in which Jehovah was when he spake unto Moses there. The Lord dwelt in the cloud upon the mercy-seat (1 Kings…

is spoken of as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which he speaks, --the envelope, as it were, of divine glory. (Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12) The plague of darkness in Egypt was miraculous. The darkness "over all the land," (Matthew 27:45) attending the crucifixion has been attributed to an eclipse, but was undoubtedly miraculous, as no eclipse of the sun could have taken place at that time, the moon being at the full at the time of the passover. Darkness is also, as in the expression "land of darkness," used for the state of the dead, (Job 10:21,22) and frequently, figuratively, for ignorance and unbelief, as the privation of spiritual light. (

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The absence of natural light, Ge 1:2, and hence figuratively a state of misery and adversity, Job 18:6 Ps 107:10 Isa 8:22 9:1; also the absence of the sun and stars, and hence the fall of chief men and national convulsions, Isa 13:10 Ac 2:20. "Works of darkness," are the impure mysteries practiced in heathen worship, Eph 5:11. "Outer darkness" illustrates the gloom of those on whom the gates of heaven are closed, Mt 8:12. The darkness in Egypt,

→ Over the face of the earth Ge 1:2; Job 38:9; Jer 4:23

→ Called NIGHT Ge 1:5

→ God creates Isa 45:7

→ Miraculous

In Egypt Ex 10:21,22; Ps 105:28

At Mount Sinai Ex 20:21; Heb 12:18

At the crucifixion Mt 27:45; Mr 15:33

→ FIGURATIVE

I clothe [the] heavens darkness and sackcloth I make covering their
וְשַׂ֖קve.Sak and sackcloth H8242 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
49× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This term refers to a coarse cloth or sack used for mourning or carrying grain. People wore sackcloth to show humility or grief, like in the book of Esther. It symbolized repentance and sorrow.
Amplified meaning
a coarse cloth, mourning attire
Tyndale gloss
sackcloth
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שַׂק (saq) refers to a type of coarse cloth or sacking, often associated with mourning. It can denote both a sack used for carrying grain and sackcloth worn in times of grief or humiliation. The term is derived from a root meaning to allow liquid to pass through, indicating its mesh-like quality.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שַׂק n.m. sack, sackcloth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8242 שַׂק sack, sackcloth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8242 saq sak

from 8264; properly, a mesh (as allowing a liquid to run

through), i.e. coarse loose cloth or sacking (used in mourning

and for bagging); hence, a bag (for grain,

etc.):--sack(-cloth, -clothes).

see HEBREW for 08264

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שַׂק (saq) — sackcloth.

1) mesh, sackcloth, sack, sacking

1a) sack (for grain)

1b) sackcloth

1b1) worn in mourning or humiliation

1b2) same material spread out to lie on

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sak'-kloth.

See BURIAL.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Sackcloth

Cloth made of black goats’ hair, coarse, rough, and thick, used for sacks, and also worn by mourners (Gen. 37:34; 42:25; 2 Sam. 3:31; Esther 4:1, 2; Ps. 30:11, etc.), and as a sign of repentance (Matt. 11:21). It was put upon animals by the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:8).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

cloth used in making sacks or bags, a coarse fabric, of a dark color, made of goat’s hair, (Isaiah 50:3; Revelation 6:12) end resembling the eilicium of the Romans. It, was used also for making the rough garments used by mourners, which were in extreme cases worn next the skin. (1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 6:30; Job 16:15; Isaiah 32:11)

Nave's Topical Bible

→ A symbol of mourning 1Ki 20:31,32; Job 16:15; Isa 15:3; Jer 4:8; 6:26; 49:3; La 2:10; Eze 7:18; Da 9:3; Joe 1:8

→ Worn by Jacob when it was reported to him that Joseph had been devoured by wild animals Ge 37:34

→ Animals covered with, at a time of national mourning Jon 3:8

→ See MOURNING

I clothe [the] heavens darkness and sackcloth I make covering their
אָשִׂ֥ים'a.Sim I make H7760 Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
585× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to put or place something, and is used in many different ways in the Bible, such as to appoint or determine something. It is first used in Genesis to describe God's creation. In the KJV, it is translated as 'appoint' or 'set' in various contexts.
Tyndale gloss
to set: make
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שׂוּם (sum) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set, with a wide range of applications including appointing, establishing, and making. It can also refer to laying something upon or directing it. There is a related noun שׂוּמָה (sumah), which may denote a token of unluckiness. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שׂוּם, שִׂים 582 vb. put, place, set

Qal

put, set, in a place

put something upon

put, lay, set

put, c. בֵּין

set, direct

set, ordain, in a place

set, establish a law, statute

set, found a nation

set, appoint (as ruler, official)

set, constitute, make

set, determine, fix, bounds

set, station, at a post

put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars

set up altars

= plant, wheat

set, fix (countenance)

make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into

make, constitute

work, bring to pass

appoint, give

set, fix (countenance)

Hiph. I will make him for a sign

Hoph. there was set before him

base

שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl;—2 S 13:32

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7760a שׂוּם, שִׂים put, place, set .. . put, set, in a place

. put something upon

. put, lay, set

. put, c. בֵּין

. set, direct

. . set, ordain, in a place

. set, establish a law, statute

. set, found a nation

. set, appoint (as ruler, official)

. set, constitute, make

. set, determine, fix, bounds

. . set, station, at a post

. put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars

. set up altars

. = plant, wheat

. set, fix (countenance)

. . make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into

. make, constitute

. work, bring to pass

. appoint, give

. set, fix (countenance)

. I will make him for a sign

. there was set before him

H7760b שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7760 suwm soom

or siym {seem}; a primitive root; to put (used in a great

variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially,

and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a

name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider,

convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap

up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out),

mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve,

purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set

(on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down,

((over-))turn, X wholly, work.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שׂוּם (sum) — to set: make.

: make/establish

1) to put, place, set, appoint, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on

1a2) to set, direct, direct toward

1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)

1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix

1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix

1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give

1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign

1c) (Hophal) to be set

שׂוּמָה (su.mah) — fate.

token of unluckiness, scowl

שׂוּם (sum) — to set: put.

: put/give

1) to put, place, set, appoint, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on

1a2) to set, direct, direct toward

1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)

1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-1cs — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
HVqi1cs
I clothe [the] heavens darkness and sackcloth I make covering their
כְּסוּתָֽם׃ סke.su.Tam covering their H3682 Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
8× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A covering can also refer to a garment or clothing that is used to cover the body, as seen in many biblical descriptions of dress. It can also be used figuratively to describe a veiling or a concealment of something, such as a secret or a hidden truth. The Bible often uses this term to describe the clothing of important figures.
Amplified meaning
a garment, a robe of humility
Tyndale gloss
covering
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כְּסוּת (kcuwth) refers to a covering or clothing, with implications for concealment. It is derived from the root meaning to cover. The entries consistently emphasize its use in the context of garments or veiling.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כְּסוּת n.f. covering

covering, clothing

covering, for concealment

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3682 כְּסוּת covering . covering, clothing

. covering, for concealment

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3682 kcuwth kes-ooth'

from 3680; a cover (garment); figuratively, a

veiling:--covering, raiment, vesture.

see HEBREW for 03680

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כְּסוּת (ke.sut) — covering.

1) covering, clothing

1a) covering, clothing

1b) covering (for concealment)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HNcfsc/Sp3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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