Mourning rituals in the Ancient Near East included sitting on the ground, usually in silence (see Joshua 7:6; 2 Samuel 13:31; Job 2:13; Ezekiel 26:16); sprinkling dust or ashes on the head (see 2 Samuel 13:19; Nehemiah 9:1; Job 2:12; Ezekiel 27:30) and wearing sackcloth (see Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 3:31; Esther 4:1;Isaiah 15:3; Jonah 3:5).1 Sackcloth was a coarse material often worn as a sign of mourning or penitence (see Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 1:11; 2 Samuel 3:31; 2 Samuel 13:31), so all these gestures or materials were signs or symbols of mourning.2
Other mourning practices that were common in these times, but not mentioned here, include wailing and weeping, tearing of garments, cutting oneself, and fasting.3
10 Les anciens de la fille de Sion sont assis à terre, ils sont muets; Ils ont couvert leur tête de poussière, Ils se sont revêtus de sacs; Les vierges de Jérusalem laissent retomber leur tête vers la terre.