sackcloth

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, Latin, or Greek which are translated into English as “sackcloth” are rendered into Chamula Tzotzil as “sad-heart clothes.” (Source: Robert Bascom)

Pohnpeian and Chuukese translate it as “clothing-of sadness,” Eastern Highland Otomi uses “clothing that hurts,” Central Mazahua “that which is scratchy,” Tae’ and Zarma “rags” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel), and Tangale as “torn clothes that show contrition on the body” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin). In the English translation by Goldingay (2018), “put on sackcloth” is translated as wrap on sack.

“In Turkana, a woman removes her normal everyday skin clothes and ornaments and wears rather poor skins during the time of mourning. The whole custom is known as ngiboro. It is very difficult to translate putting on sackcloth because even material like sacking is unfamiliar. The Haya, on the other hand, have a mourning cloth made out of the bark of a tree; and the use of this cloth is similar to the Jewish use of sackcloth. It was found that in both the Turkana and Ruhaya common language translations, their traditional mourning ceremonies were used.” (Source: Rachel Konyoro in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 221ff. )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing what a sackcloth looked like in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also mourning clothes and you have loosed my sackcloth.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 16:2

Gird yourselves with sackcloth and haircloth: Gird yourselves with may be rendered simply “Put on” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). Sackcloth was a coarse cloth used for making sacks. Haircloth was also a coarse cloth made from goat’s hair. Putting on such clothing made of coarse material was a sign of mourning.

And wail for your children, and lament for them: The Latin verbs for wail and lament are very similar in meaning. Both are used for emphasis. Many translators will be able to find two words for mourning. Good News Bible has “Cry” and “wail,” while Contemporary English Version uses “Cry” and “mourn.”

For your destruction is at hand: This clause explains why the people of the four nations should mourn. It is because God will destroy them soon.

Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse, and so does Contemporary English Version, which says:

• Put on sackcloth and cloth made of goat’s hair to show your sorrow. Cry and mourn for your children, for the time of your destruction is already here.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.