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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

Jeremiah 48:37

For every head [is] bald, and every beard diminished, || On all hands—cuttings, and on the loins—sackcloth.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Baldness;   Beard;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Beard, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beard;   Moabites;   Mourning;   Shaving;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moab;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hand, Right Hand;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Beard;   Cutting;   Ezekiel, Book of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Beard;   Chemosh;   Cuttings;   Hair;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baldness;   Beard;   Gash;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Cuttings in the Flesh;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Hair;   Isaiah, Book of;   Madmen;   Moab, Moabites;   Obadiah, Book of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Beard;   Hair;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nebo;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ammon ammonites children of ammon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Beard;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Bald;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Beard;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cuttings in the Flesh;   Loins;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Baldness;   Cuttings;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Indeed, every head is bald and every beard is chopped short. On every hand is a gash and sackcloth around the waist.
Hebrew Names Version
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the loins sackcloth.
King James Version
For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
English Standard Version
"For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth.
New American Standard Bible
"For every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and sackcloth around the waists.
New Century Version
Every head has been shaved and every beard cut off. Everyone's hands are cut, and everyone wears rough cloth around his waist.
Amplified Bible
"For every head is [shaven] bald and every beard cut off; there are cuts (slashes) on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins [all expressions of mourning].
World English Bible
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the loins sackcloth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For euery head shalbe balde, and euery beard plucked: vpon all the handes shall be cuttings, and vpon the loynes sackecloth.
Legacy Standard Bible
For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.
Berean Standard Bible
For every head is shaved and every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash and around every waist is sackcloth.
Contemporary English Version
The people of Moab mourn on the rooftops and in the streets. Men cut off their beards, people shave their heads; they make cuts on their hands and wear sackcloth.
Complete Jewish Bible
Every head has been shaved bald, every beard has been clipped short, gashes are on every hand, sackcloth around every waist.
Darby Translation
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped; upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
Easy-to-Read Version
Everyone has a shaved head. Everyone's beard is cut off. Everyone's hands are cut and bleeding. Everyone is wearing sackcloth around their waists.
George Lamsa Translation
For their heads are clipped and their beards shaved; upon all their hands are signs of mourning, and upon their loins sackcloth.
Good News Translation
All of them have shaved their heads and cut off their beards. They have all made gashes on their hands, and everyone is wearing sackcloth.
Lexham English Bible
For on every head is baldness, and every beard is trimmed. On all the hands, slashes, and on the loins, sackcloth.
Literal Translation
For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped. On all the hands shall be cuttings, and sackcloth on the loins.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All heades shall be shauen, and all beerdes clipped off: all hondes bounde, and all loynes gyrded aboute with sack cloth.
American Standard Version
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
Bible in Basic English
For everywhere the hair of the head and the hair of the face is cut off: on every hand there are wounds, and haircloth on every body.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped; upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
King James Version (1611)
For euery head shall be bald, and euery beard clipt: vpon all the hands shall be cuttings, and vpon the loines sackcloth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
All heades shalbe shauen, and all beardes clipped of, all handes bounde, and all loynes gyrded about with sackcloth.
English Revised Version
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands are cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For whi ech heed schal be ballidnesse, and ech beerd schal be schauun; in alle hondis schal be bindyng togidere, and an heir schal be on ech bak.
Update Bible Version
For every head is bald, and every beard clipped: on all the hands are cuttings, and on the loins sackcloth.
Webster's Bible Translation
For every head [shall be] bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands [shall be] cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
New English Translation
For all of them will shave their heads in mourning. They will all cut off their beards to show their sorrow. They will all make gashes in their hands. They will all put on sackcloth.
New King James Version
"For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped; On all the hands shall be cuts, and on the loins sackcloth--
New Living Translation
The people shave their heads and beards in mourning. They slash their hands and put on clothes made of burlap.
New Life Bible
The hair has been cut from every head, and the hair has been cut short on every face. There are cuts on all the hands, and they wear clothes made from hair.
New Revised Standard
For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; on all the hands there are gashes, and on the loins sackcloth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, every head, is baldness, And every beard, clipped: Upon all hands, are gashes, And upon the loins, sackcloth
Douay-Rheims Bible
For every head shall be bald, and every beard shall be shaven: all hands shall be tied together, and upon every back there shall be haircloth.
Revised Standard Version
"For every head is shaved and every beard cut off; upon all the hands are gashes, and on the loins is sackcloth.
Young's Literal Translation
For every head [is] bald, and every beard diminished, On all hands cuttings, and on the loins -- sackcloth.
THE MESSAGE
"Everywhere you look are signs of mourning: heads shaved, beards cut, Hands scratched and bleeding, clothes ripped and torn.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and sackcloth on the loins.

Contextual Overview

14How do you say, We [are] mighty, || And men of strength for battle? 15Moab is spoiled, and has gone up [from] her cities, || And the choice of its young men || Have gone down to slaughter, || An affirmation of the King, || YHWH of Hosts [is] His Name. 16The destruction of Moab is near to come, || And his calamity has hurried exceedingly. 17Bemoan for him, all you around him, || And all knowing his name, say, || How it has been broken, the staff of strength, || The rod of beauty! 18Come down from glory, sit in thirst, || O inhabitant, daughter of Dibon, || For a spoiler of Moab has come up to you, || He has destroyed your fortifications. 19Stand on the way, and watch, O inhabitant of Aroer, || Ask the fugitive and escaped, || Say, What has happened? 20Moab has been put to shame, || For it has been broken down, || Howl and cry, declare in Arnon, || For Moab is spoiled, 21And judgment has come to the land of the plain—to Holon, || And to Jahazah, and on Mephaath, 22And on Dibon, and on Nebo, || And on Beth-Diblathaim, and on Kirathaim, 23And on Beth-Gamul, and on Beth-Meon,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

every head: Jeremiah 16:6, Jeremiah 41:5, Jeremiah 47:5, Isaiah 3:24, Isaiah 15:2, Isaiah 15:3, Ezekiel 7:18, Ezekiel 27:31, Amos 8:10, Micah 1:16

clipped: Heb. diminished

cuttings: Leviticus 19:28, 1 Kings 18:28, Mark 5:5

upon the loins: Genesis 37:29, Genesis 37:34, 1 Kings 21:27, 2 Kings 6:30, Isaiah 20:2, Isaiah 37:1, Revelation 11:3

Reciprocal: Leviticus 19:27 - General Leviticus 21:5 - not make baldness 1 Chronicles 19:4 - shaved them Ezra 9:3 - off Jeremiah 7:29 - Cut Jeremiah 49:3 - gird

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For every head [shall be] bald, and every beard clipped,.... Men, in times of mourning, used to pluck off the hairs of their head till they made them bald, and shaved their beards; which, as Kimchi says, were the glory of their faces; see Isaiah 15:2;

upon all the hands shall be cuttings: it was usual with the Heathens to make incisions in the several parts of their bodies, particularly in their hands and arms, with their nails, or with knives, in token of mourning; which are forbidden the Israelites, Deuteronomy 14:1;

and upon the loins sackcloth; this is a well known custom for mourners, to put off their clothes, and put on sackcloth; all these things are mentioned, to show how great was the mourning of Moab for the calamities of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Cuttings - Compare Jeremiah 16:6, and marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 48:37. For every head shall be bald — These, as we have seen before, were signs of the deepest distress and desolation.


 
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