Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, sacks were commonly used as containers for carrying and storing various goods, including grain, provisions, and personal belongings. The term "sack" appears in several contexts throughout the Bible, often symbolizing humility, mourning, or repentance.
Materials and Construction:Sacks in the ancient Near East were typically made from coarse materials such as goat's hair or camel hair, which were woven into a rough fabric known as sackcloth. This material was durable and suitable for carrying heavy loads. The construction of sacks was simple, often consisting of a rectangular piece of fabric sewn together to form a bag with an open top that could be tied or sealed.
Symbolism and Usage:1.
Mourning and Repentance: Sackcloth, often associated with sacks, was worn as a sign of mourning or repentance. In times of distress or when seeking God's mercy, individuals would don sackcloth and ashes. For example, in the book of Jonah, the people of Nineveh, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth as a sign of their repentance (
Jonah 3:5-6).
2.
Humility: Wearing sackcloth was also a demonstration of humility before God. In the book of Daniel, the prophet Daniel describes how he turned to the Lord in prayer and supplication, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (
Daniel 9:3).
3.
Judgment and Lamentation: Sacks and sackcloth are frequently mentioned in prophetic literature as symbols of lamentation and judgment. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the people girding themselves with sackcloth as a response to impending judgment (
Isaiah 15:3).
Practical Uses:1.
Storage and Transport: Sacks were practical for storing and transporting goods, especially agricultural products like grain. In the account of Joseph, his brothers used sacks to carry grain back to Canaan during the famine (
Genesis 42:25).
2.
Provision for Journeys: Sacks were essential for travelers, providing a means to carry provisions and personal items. In the account of David's flight from Saul, Abigail prepared a large quantity of food and loaded it onto donkeys in sacks to provide for David and his men (
1 Samuel 25:18).
Cultural and Historical Context:The use of sacks and sackcloth reflects the agrarian society of the biblical world, where such items were integral to daily life. The symbolic use of sackcloth in religious and cultural practices underscores the deep connection between physical expressions and spiritual states in the biblical narrative.
Conclusion:Sacks, both as practical items and as symbols, played a significant role in the biblical world. They served not only as essential tools for daily living but also as powerful symbols of humility, repentance, and mourning, reflecting the spiritual and cultural values of the time.
Strong's Hebrew
572. amtachath -- a sack... Word Origin from mathach Definition a sack NASB Word Usage sack (8),
sacks (7).
sack. From mathach; properly, something expansive, ie A bag -- sack.
...6194. aremah -- a heap
... Word Origin from aram Definition a heap NASB Word Usage heap (2), heap of grain
(1), heaps (5), rubble (1),sacks of grain (1). heap of corn, sheaf. (Jer....
8242. saq -- sack, sackcloth
... sackcloth. Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition sack, sackcloth NASB
Word Usage sack (4), sackcloth (42),sacks (2). sackcloth,....
Library
The Mystery of the Lost Brother
... And take twice as much money, besides the money that was in yoursacks.... They said
to each other: "We have been taken here on account of the money in oursacks....
The Testing of Joseph's Brothers
... As they were emptying theirsacks, they found that each man's purse with his money
was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their purses and the...
Chapter xliv
... 1-3. And he gave commandment to the man who was over his household, saying: Fill
thesacks of the men with as much food as they will be able to carry away, and...
The Story of Benjamin.
... corn in Egypt. So he sent his ten sons away with their emptysacks and
their asses to buy corn for their families. They wished to...
Chapter xliii
... honey, gum, laudanum, pistachio nuts and almonds; and take some more money along,
and also the money that was restored in the opening of yoursacks, take it...
How Joseph when He was Become Famous in Egypt, had his Brethren in...
... He also commanded his steward privily to put the money which they had brought with
them for the purchase of corn into theirsacks, and to dismiss them therewith...
The Power of Little Things.
... An Eastern allegory runs thus: A merchant, going abroad for a time, gave respectively
to two of his friends twosacks of wheat each, to take care of against...
Here Beginneth the History of Joseph and his Brethren
... he returned to them, and took Simeon in their presence and bound him, and sent him
to prison, and commanded to his ministers to fill theirsacks with wheat...
Joseph and his Brethren
... And it came to pass as they emptied theirsacks, that, behold, every man's bundle
of money was in his sack: and when they and their father saw their bundles of...
The Story of Joseph
... was nothing for it but to agree to the conditions, so it was decided that Simeon
should be left behind, and the order was given that all thesacks should be...
Thesaurus
Sacks (12 Occurrences)...Sacks (12 Occurrences).
... (KJV WBS). Genesis 42:35 It happened as they emptied their
sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack.
...Sack (15 Occurrences)
... NIV). Genesis 42:35 It happened as they emptied theirsacks, that behold,
every man's bundle of money was in his sack. When they...
Silver (329 Occurrences)
... Genesis 42:35 And it cometh to pass, they are emptying theirsacks, and lo, the
bundle of each man's silver 'is' in his sack, and they see their bundles of...
Mouths (86 Occurrences)
... Genesis 43:12 and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned
in the mouth of yoursacks carry back in your hand; peradventure it was an...
Sackcloth (47 Occurrences)
... Cloth made of black goats' hair, coarse, rough, and thick, used forsacks, and also
worn by mourners (Genesis 37:34; 42:25; 2 Samuel 3:31; Esther 4:1, 2; Psalm...
Sack's (3 Occurrences)
... Genesis 44:1 He commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men'ssacks
with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's...
Donkeys (71 Occurrences)
... Genesis 43:18 The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house;
and they said, "Because of the money that was returned in oursacks at the...
Asses (68 Occurrences)
... Genesis 43:18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house;
and they said, Because of the money that was returned in oursacks at the...
Treasure (66 Occurrences)
... a secret storehouse" and so a secreted valuable, usually money buried, and so hidden
riches of any kind, hid treasures: "treasure in yoursacks" (Genesis 43:23...
Siege (63 Occurrences)
... To counteract the assaults of the battering-rams,sacks of chaff were let down like
a ship's fender in front of the place where the engine operated-a...
Resources
Who was Joseph in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWho were the Gibeonites? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Hildegard of Bingen? | GotQuestions.orgSacks: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
