"But unlike the Jewish nation, the Gentiles' mourning will not generally result from genuine repentance. "Mourn" is from kopto, which literally means "to cut." The word became associated with mourning due to the pagans' practice of cutting themselves when in extreme grief or despair. First Kings 18:28 records that the frenzied, panicked prophets of Baal "cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances"