WEEPING

Both men and women of the past, including mighty warriors like David, expressed grief or strong emotion by weeping, not considering it a sign of weakness to shed tears. (Gen. 42:24; 43:30; 45:2, 3, 14, 15; 46:29; Ruth 1:9, 14; 2 Sam. 13:36; Job 30:25; Ps. 6:6-8) The death of a loved one or a friend was one of the chief causes of weeping. (2 Sam. 18:33–19:4; Luke 7:11-15; 8:49-56; John 20:11-15) And the death of respected and beloved individuals might give rise to national weeping (2 Sam. 3:31-34), long periods sometimes being devoted to such expression of grief. (Gen. 50:1-3, 10, 11; Num. 20:29; Deut. 34:8) Other circumstances that occasioned weeping were defeat in warfare (Deut. 1:44, 45; Jer. 31:15; Lam. 1:16), captivity (Ps. 137:1), oppression (Eccl. 4:1), great calamity (Esther 3:13, 14; 4:1-4) and remorse over sin. (Ezra 10:1-4; Jer. 3:21, 22; 31:9; Joel 2:12; Luke 22:54-62; Jas. 4:8, 9) Weeping in religious ceremony was associated with the worship of the Babylonian god Tammuz.—Ezek. 8:14.

Aside from feelings of personal loss or affliction, deep concern and intense feeling for others often prompted weeping. Thus the apostle Paul spoke of admonishing and correcting fellow believers with tears. (Acts 20:31; 2 Cor. 2:4) With weeping he mentioned those who were “walking as the enemies of the torture stake of the Christ.” (Phil. 3:18, 19) And, because of the close bond of love existing between Paul and the overseers of the Ephesus congregation, all wept upon learning of the possibility that they might not see the apostle’s face again.—Acts 20:36-38.

There were times when worshipers of Jehovah wept during prayer, as did Hannah, Hezekiah and Nehemiah. (1 Sam. 1:9-11; 2 Ki. 20:1-5; Neh. 1:2-4; Ps. 39:12) Even Jesus Christ, while on earth, supplicated and petitioned his Father “with strong outcries and tears.”—Heb. 5:7; see MOURNING.