Shaving of the head, cutting off the beard, gashing the body, and wearing sackcloth were all signs of mourning (see 4.8; 16.6; 41.5). In many languages translators will add at the end of the verse, “They do this as a sign of mourning” or “… to show they are in mourning.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .