σάκκος G4526
Sackcloth; a coarse fabric of goat hair worn as a sign of mourning, repentance, or grief.
A loanword from Hebrew/Aramaic (saq), this term denotes the rough, dark fabric woven from goat or camel hair that became the universal biblical symbol of grief, mourning, and penitence. Jesus invokes it in his woe against Chorazin and Bethsaida, declaring that Tyre and Sidon would have repented long ago 'in sackcloth and ashes' (Matt 11:21; Luke 10:13). In Revelation, the sun turns 'black as sackcloth' at the opening of the sixth seal (Rev 6:12), and God's two witnesses prophesy clothed in sackcloth (Rev 11:3). The Spanish 'cilicio' adds the connotation of penitential garment, while French 'sac' and German 'Sack' preserve the etymological link to the original Semitic word.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Coarse cloth made from dark goat or camel hair, or a garment made from such cloth, worn to express mourning, repentance, or deep grief. The word is a Semitic loanword that passed through Greek virtually unchanged, and the cross-linguistic evidence reflects this: Spanish 'cilicio' (hairshirt) emphasizes the penitential function, while 'saco,' French 'sac,' and German 'Sack' retain the original form. Jesus' hypothetical about Tyre and Sidon repenting in sackcloth and ashes (Matt 11:21; Luke 10:13) draws on the established Old Testament pairing of sackcloth with ash as the visible posture of contrition (cf. Jonah 3:6; Dan 9:3). Revelation extends the imagery apocalyptically: the darkened sun resembles sackcloth (Rev 6:12), and the two witnesses wear it as a prophetic uniform of urgent warning (Rev 11:3). 4×
AR["بِمُسوحٍ", "مُسوحٍ", "مِسحٍ"]·ben["চট", "চটে", "বস্তা"]·DE["Sack", "σάκκῳ"]·EN["in-sackcloth", "sackcloth"]·FR["sac"]·heb["שַׂק", "שַׂקִּים"]·HI["टाट", "टाट।", "तअत-मेइन"]·ID["kain-kabung", "kain-kabung."]·IT["sacco", "sakkos", "sakkous"]·jav["karung", "rasukan-karung"]·KO["굵은-베", "베-가", "베옮을", "베옷과"]·PT["saco", "sacos"]·RU["веретище", "во-вретища.", "вретище"]·ES["cilicio", "saco"]·SW["gunia", "magunia.", "nguo-za-gunia"]·TR["çul", "çulda", "çullar"]·urd["ٹاٹ"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σάκκος or σάκος, ὁ, see entry near the end:— coarse cloth of hair, especially of goats' hair, σάκκος τρίχινος LXX+NT __II anything made of this cloth: __II.1 sack, bag, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.2 sieve, strainer, especially for wine, Refs 6th c.BC+ __II.3 coarse garment, sackcloth, worn as mourning by the Jews, LXX+NT+1st c.AD+ __III coarse beard, like rough hair-cloth, σάκον πρὸς ταῖν γνάθοιν ἔχειν…