2 Samuel 15:30

15:30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up.

Isaiah 15:2

15:2 They went up to the temple, ¹ 

the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. ² 

Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, ³  Moab wails.

Every head is shaved bare,

every beard is trimmed off. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 41:5

41:5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. ⁵  They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show they were mourning. ⁶  They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁷ 

Matthew 6:16

Proper Fasting

6:16 “When ⁸  you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive ⁹  so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, ¹⁰  they have their reward.

Romans 12:15

12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Hebrews 13:3

13:3 Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, ¹¹  and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment. ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “house.”

² tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.

³ tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”

⁴ sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.

⁵ sn Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria were all cities in the northern kingdom of Israel with important religious and political histories. When Israel was destroyed in 722 b.c., some of the Israelites had been left behind and some of the Judeans had taken up residence in these northern cities. People residing there had participated in the reforms of Hezekiah (2 Chr 30:11) and Josiah (2 Chr 34:9) and were evidently still faithfully following the Jewish calendar. They would have been on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish New Year and the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:34).

⁶ tn The words “to show they were mourning” are not in the text but are implicit in the acts. They are supplied in the translation for clarification for readers who may not be familiar with ancient mourning customs.

⁷ tn The words “in Jerusalem” are not in the text but are implicit. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁹ tn Here the term “disfigure” used in a number of translations was not used because it could convey to the modern reader the notion of mutilation. L&N 79.17 states, “‘to make unsightly, to disfigure, to make ugly.’ ἀφανίζουσιν γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ‘for they make their faces unsightly’ Mt 6:16.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

¹¹ tn Grk “as being imprisoned together.”

¹² tn Or “since you too are vulnerable”; Grk “you also being in the body.”