Strong’s Greek 5155 designates cloth “of hair,” the coarse fabric woven from goat or camel hair that was fashioned into sackcloth. It appears only in Revelation 6:12, yet its background is thoroughly interwoven with biblical imagery of mourning, judgment, and prophetic witness.

Old Testament Background of Hair Garments

Hair cloth was a familiar element in the life of Israel. Jacob donned it in grief for Joseph (Genesis 37:34). David ordered it for the funeral procession of Abner (2 Samuel 3:31). Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah spoke of it as the public attire of repentance (Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 6:26; Zechariah 13:4). Its austere texture opposed luxury, reminding the wearer—and onlookers—of sin’s sting and the need for humility before God.

Construction and Daily Use

Goat-hair thread was spun into a dark, coarse weave. Besides personal garments, it served practical purposes: sacks for grain, blankets for shepherds, and the black weather-resistant tent panels of nomads (cf. Exodus 26:7 regarding the Tabernacle’s outer layer). A visual hallmark across the Near East, it carried connotations of poverty and stern resolve.

Revelation 6:12 in Context

“I watched as He opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth of goat hair, the whole moon became like blood” (Revelation 6:12).

John employs the word to describe the sun’s eclipse during the breaking of the sixth seal. The image draws upon two strands:

1. Mourning: the entire cosmos dresses in the garment of lament, signaling that creation itself shares humanity’s sorrow over sin.
2. Judgment: the sixth seal unleashes portents that anticipate the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:30-31), underscoring that divine wrath is neither capricious nor sudden, but the culmination of long-foretold warnings.

Symbolism of Hair Sackcloth

• Penitence: Sackcloth publicly acknowledged guilt (Jonah 3:5-8).
• Prophetic protest: Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4) wore hair garments, embodying separation from worldly comforts.
• Eschatological witness: The two witnesses will prophesy “clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3), aligning them with earlier prophets and highlighting continuity in God’s redemptive plan.

Through these layers the single New Testament occurrence of 5155 summons readers to repentance and readiness for Christ’s return.

Related Biblical Imagery

Black heavenly bodies (Isaiah 50:3), blood-red moons (Joel 2:31), and cosmic quaking (Haggai 2:6; Hebrews 12:26) converge in Revelation 6:12. The hair sackcloth motif anchors these apocalyptic signs in the tangible world of Israel’s liturgy of lament.

Historical Reception

Early Christian interpreters—such as Victorinus of Pettau and Andrew of Caesarea—linked the black sun to the church’s persecution and the goat-hair sackcloth to the harsh sufferings of martyrs. Reformers later emphasized it as a token of God’s unchanging dealings with sin across both covenants.

Ministry Applications

1. Personal discipleship: The verse invites self-examination. Though literal sackcloth is culturally distant, the heart posture it signified is ever relevant (James 4:9-10).
2. Preaching: The graphic imagery supplies weight to warnings about judgment while offering the hope of mercy to those who repent.
3. Pastoral care: Amid calamity, believers can interpret global turmoil not as random chaos but as reminders of God’s sovereign call to holiness.

Doctrinal Implications

• Continuity of God’s message: The same fabric of repentance threads through patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and the consummation scene.
• Holiness and justice: The darkened sun testifies that a righteous God will not overlook sin, yet His warnings are graciously announced in advance.
• Assurance of fulfillment: What ancient prophecy portrayed figuratively is shown progressing toward literal fulfillment in Revelation, affirming the reliability of Scripture.

See Also

Genesis 37:34; Isaiah 22:12; Joel 2:30-31; Matthew 3:4; Revelation 11:3; Revelation 16:15