A set of practices that people follow when someone dies. These practices were followed by the dead person's family and friends.
Mourning in the Old Testament
It began with the closing of the eyes of the dead, the embracing of the body, and its preparation for burial (Genesis 46:4; 50:1). Immediate burial was necessary due to the hot climate (Acts 5:1–10). We do not have a lot of details about burial practices before the New Testament (Matthew 27:59; John 11:44; 19:39–40). Archaeological evidence suggests that people were buried fully clothed and not in coffins. The Israelites did not embalm or burn their dead, but a proper burial was very important.
When someone died, it was common to:
Tear one’s clothes (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 1:11; Job 1:20)
Put on sackcloth (2 Samuel 3:31)
Take off one’s shoes (2 Samuel 15:30; Micah 1:8) and headdress.
A man might cover his beard or veil his face (Ezekiel 24:17, 23)
Mourners put earth on their heads (Joshua 7:6; 1 Samuel 4:12; Nehemiah 9:1; Job 2:12; Ezekiel 27:30)
Rolled themselves in the dust (Job 16:15; Micah 1:10)
Sat on a heap of ashes (Esther 4:3; Isaiah 58:5; Jeremiah 6:26; Ezekiel 27:30)
Some mourning practices were forbidden because they were done by pagans (Leviticus 19:27–28; Deuteronomy 14:1):
Shaving the hair and the beard
Making cuts on the body (Job 1:20; Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 16:6; 41:5; 47:5; 48:37; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10)
People in mourning would stop washing and using perfumes (2 Samuel 12:20; 14:2).
Fasting was also a common mourning rite (1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12). Neighbors or friends would bring mourning bread and the “cup of consolation” to the relatives of the deceased (Jeremiah 16:7; Ezekiel 24:17, 22). This was done because food could not be prepared at the house of the dead due to ritual uncleanness. The dead were considered unclean to the extent that priests could only participate in mourning rites for their closest blood relatives (mother, father, son, daughter, brother, and sister, provided she was still a virgin; Leviticus 21:1–4, 10–11). Mourning rites were expressions of grief and affection rather than acts of worship directed toward the dead or constituting a cult for the dead.
At the graveside, lamentation for the dead was common (1 Kings 13:30; Jeremiah 6:26; Amos 5:16; 8:10; Zechariah 12:10). Men and women mourned in separate groups (Zechariah 12:11–14). These exclamations of sorrow might develop into rhythmic laments (2 Samuel 1:17–27; Amos 8:10). Professional mourners, especially women, were often employed to lead the lamentations (Jeremiah 9:17–19; Amos 5:16). The book of Lamentations exemplifies this genre. Lamentations reminds us that mourning was not always associated with death but could also express brokenness of spirit for sin, both individual and national.
These mourning rites showed deep sorrow. Some practices, like tearing clothes, wearing sackcloths, covering oneself with dust and ashes, and even cutting yourself, reflected intense grief. The religious meaning of these practices is now unclear to us. Mourning was not just an inner feeling or a mental state; it was a deliberate, established ritual. When someone died, an Israelite wept because it was customary and proper. People built monuments or memorials (2 Samuel 18:18). However, most Israelites were too poor for this to be a common practice.
Mourning in the New Testament
Mourning practices in the New Testament were similar to those in the Old Testament. Mourning was associated with:
Christ’s second coming (Matthew 24:30)
Christ’s leaving the 12 (Matthew 9:15)
Deep spirituality (5:4)
Death (Mark 5:38–39; Luke 7:13; John 11:33)
Even though Christians believed that Christ’s resurrection had defeated death (1 Corinthians 15:54–57), they still mourned, but not like those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13; Revelation 21:4).