Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 44
CHAPTER XLIIII. Of their Burials.
GEN. 49. 29. And he charged them and ſaid unto them, I am to be gathered to my people, burie me with my Fathers.
IN their burials, firſt, we are to conſider the placeThe circumſtances that were uſed in Buriall. where they buried them; ſecondly, the ceremonies which they uſed at their Burials; thirdly, the forme of their Tombes; fourthly, the great charges that they were at in their burials; and laſtly, how they comforted the living after the dead were buried.
Firſt, the place where they buried them, it was commonlyThe place where they uſed to bury. without the Citie; In Ieruſalem they were buried without the Citie neare the brooke Kedron, Mat. 27. 53. And many aroſe, and came out of the graues, and went into the holy Citie, and appeared there: ſo the widowes ſonne of Naim was buried without the Citie, Luk. 7. 12. ſo the poſſeſſed men walked amongſt the graues in ſolitarie places, Mark. 4. 37. And Chriſt was buried in a Garden without the Citie.
They buried all of one familie together, 1 Sam. 3. 1.With whom they were buried. they buried the bones of Saul and Ionathan in the buriall of their Fathers: ſo Gen. 33. 2. therefore they were ſaid to be gathered to their fathers; and David alludeth to this forme when he ſaith, gather me not with the wicked. Pſal. 30. For all the bodies of the faithfull were laid together, ſo are their ſoules gathered together, & this is called, the bundle of life, 1 Sam. 25. The Greeks called thoſe who were not buried with their Fathers, foreign, outburied.
They buried the man and the wife together, as Abraham and Sara in the field of Ephron, Gen. 25. ſo Iacob andTh…full were buri…ther. Leah, Iſaac and Rebecca, ſo Tobias and his wife were buried together, Tob. 4. 4. And hereby they ſignified the conſtancie and louelove which ſhould be betwixt the man and the wife, and that they died in the ſame faith, therefore the Orthodoxe Church when they died they would not be buried beſides Heretickes; Sophronius ſaid, Noli me tangere haeretice neque vivum neque mortuum.
They buried ſtrangers in a part by themſelues, Act. 1.The ſtrangers converted, deſired …o be buried with the faithfull. 18. this place they called it Kebher galaja, ſepulchrum exterorum: when the ſtrangers were converted to the faith, they deſired to be buried with the faithfull; as Ruth ſaid to Naomi, where thou dieſt there will I die and be buried, Ruth 1. 17.
Secondly, they uſed many Ceremonies in their buriall,The Ceremonies in buriall. firſt, they faſted, 1 Sam. 31. 13. 2 Sam. 1. 12. and they mourned and wept and faſted while even; ſo 2 Sam. 3. 34. David faſted for Abner till the Sunne was ſet.
Secondly, they wept, as for Aar…n thirtie dayes, Num. 20. 29. ſo for Moſes, Deut. 34. 8. ſo for Saul and Ionathan, 2 Sam 1. 12. ſo for Ioſia did all Iſrael mourne, 2 Chron. 35. 24. Families lamented, the men by themſelues and the women by themſelues, Zach. 1…. 12. ſo Luk. 23. and the women followed after weeping. They mourned and lamented chiefly for their Kings, Iere. 34. 5. and they will lament thee, ſaying ah Lord; they lamented for their King as the widow doth for her husband, for the King is the husband of the Common-wealth, and when ſhee wanteth him ſhe is a widow, Lament. 1.
Such was the lamentation which David made for Saul and Ionathan, 2 Sam. 1. 18. it is called there the lamentationHow theſe words are to be underſtood, he taught them the uſe of the Bow. of the Bow, he commanded to teach the children of Iſrael the Bow, it is commonly tranſlated, he taught them the uſe of the bow, or to ſhoot with the bow, but this is impertinently caſt in, in the midſt of Davids lamentations, that he taught them the uſe of the bow, but it ſhould be this way tranſlated, he taught them this lamentation, intituled the Bow, for it was the manner in old times to giuegive ſundry titles to theſe lamentations, as, Fiſtula, Scutum, Ovum, Ala, Securis; ſo Pſal. 45.Euſtatius lib. 4. to the chiefe Muſitian upon Shonannim, as yee would ſay upon the lillies, the ſong of the marriage is intituled the lillie. Chriſt is, the lillie of the valleyes, and his Church is as the lillie among thornes, therefore this marriage-Pſalme is intituled the lillie; ſo the title of this lamentation was Arcus, the Seventie tranſlated it well David edidit threnum hunc, & it is ſubjoyned that he made this lamentation, that he might teach it the children of Iſrael; and Ioſephus addeth, that the Iewes did diligently learne theſe Lamentations even unto his time, the reſt of this Lamentation is ſet downe in the Booke of the juſt, verſ. 18. and to tranſlate it he taught them to ſhoot with the bow, were not pertinent, for they had skill in the uſe of the bow alreadie, 1 Par. 12. and it was not for vnskilfulneſſe in the uſe of the Bow that the Philiſtims overcame them. When Ioſias was killed in the battaile, Ieremie made his Lamentations or foreign for him. WhenAlexander ab Alexandro lib. 3. Genialium. they buried their dead they had Minſtrels, Mat. 9. 23. who ſang the praiſes of the dead, this the Greekes called foreign, and when the corps were to be carried out, they cryed Conclamatum est; and they hyred Praeficas, mourning women. Iere. 9. 17. and when theſe women did ſing the dolefull ſong, ſhe that was the chiefe mourner ſung over carmen foreign at every reſt; the like wee ſee in Pſal. 136. for his merciemercy endureth for ever: ſo Iere. 9. 18. the chiefe mourner repeated theſe words in the Lamentation, that our eyes may run downe with teares, and our eyelids g…ſh out with waters: ſo Ezek. 26. 7. how art thou deſtroyed that waſt inhabited of Sea-faring men.
They lamented not for their wicked Kings when they died; Herod fearing that he ſhould not hauehave this honour done to him when he died, commanded when he was about to giuegive up the Ghoſt, that a number of his wiſeſt Counſellours ſhould be gathered together, and that hisIoſephus: The ſtratageme that Herod uſed that men might lament for his death. Guard ſhould inviron him about, and put them all to the ſword, that there might be a lamentatiō at his death, which they were purpoſed to hauehave done, unleſſe that Salome the ſiſter of Herod had prevented it, and diſcovered to them the plot, and then they kept a feaſt of joy in remembrance of that deliverance, as they did at Hamans death.
Thirdly, they uſed to waſh the bodies of the dead, this was called foreign, and ſo they waſhed the body of Dorcas and laid i… in an upper chamber, there was alſo foreign, Ecclus 31. 25 thatforeign foreign foreign foreign is, a waſhing of themſelues for touching of the dead; and the third was foreign, baptized for the dead, that is, counted as dead men, 1 Cor. 15. 29. for when they were baptized they went downe into the water, and were baptized all over the body.
They embalmed the bodies foreign & foreign differ.They embalmed the dead. foreign is to prepare all thoſe things which ſerue for the embalming of the body, and this was called a burying among the Iewes, they uſed much this emb…lming of the bodies before they buried them, but now becauſe the doctrine of the Reſurrection is ſo cleare, this ceremony of embalming ſhould not be uſed.
When they embalmed the bodies of their Kings,They bu…ned ſweet O. dours for them. they burnt ſweet odours for them, as for Aſa and for Zedekiah, Iere. 34. 5. Thou ſhalt die in peace, and with the burnings of thy fathers the former Kings, ſo ſhall they burne Odours for thee: Although Zedekiahs eyes were pulled out of his head, and carried captiue to Babylon; yet he is ſaid to die in peace, becauſe he had all theſe ſolemnities performed to him in his funerals. Thoſe of Iabeſh Gilead tooke the bodies of Saul & his ſonnes and burnt them, and buried their bones under a tree, 1 Sam. 31. 13. To burne their bodies here is not meant, that they burnt them to aſhes, and then buried their bones, but they burnt odours upon their bodies untill they were buried; for theſe ſpeeches are all one, comburent te, asHow theſe phraſes are to be underſtood, Comburent te & comburent tibi. the L…tines ſay, comburent tibi, as the Hebrewes ſay, foreign, as the Greekes ſay, et aromatizare, as the Evangeliſts ſay, for every one of theſe phraſes ſignifie the great pompe which was uſed at their burials. And where it is ſaid, they buried their bones, it is to be underſtood by the figure Synecdoche, their bodies, 2 Sam. 1. Are we not all of his bone: ſo Gen. 2. She is fleſh of my fleſh, and bone of my bone, and this laſt part here is but an explanation of the firſt. Iechonias wanted this honorable buriall, and therefore is ſaid, to be buried with the buriall of an Aſſe, Iere. 22. which was, inſepulta ſepultura.
The heathen burnt the bodies to aſhes before theyThe Heathen burned them to aſhes. buried them, becauſe that they thought, that the fire purged the bodie, but the greateſt abuſe of all in burning of the dead, was when the King of Moab tooke the King of Ammons ſonne, and burnt him to Lyme, and then, (as the Iewes ſay) with that incruſtârunt muros, they plaiſterd their wals.
By this we may underſtand why the Scripture bringeth in Og the King of Baſhans b…d, ſaying, is it not in Rabbath of Ammon unto this day? Deut. 3. 11. this was not his ſleeping bed, but his funerall bed, for when they were dead, they laid them upon a rich bed, and burnt odours over them, untill their friends carri…d them to the graue, and then they came home and burnt the bed and things belonging unto it. Now the reaſon why this bed of Og burnt not, was becauſe it was made of yron, ſo ſay Rabbi Iſaac Abrabaneel, and Arrias Montanus.
They had funerall feaſts called foreign, thereforeOf the feaſts at their Burials. Ezek. 24. 17. when his wife died he was forbidden to eat of that bread, eat not the bread of men; Enoſhim, that is, the bread of mourning men; theſe feaſts they called afterwards, feralia & ſilicernia, and they uſed to ſet the meat upon the graues of the dead, Iob. 4. 17. poure out thy bread upon the buriall of the juſt: ſo Eccleſ. 30. 18 as meſſes of meat ſet upon the graue.
The third thing to be conſidered in their burials, is the forme of their Tombes, the Kings were buried in ſtately Tombes together in the Citie of David, and thoſe Kings who were not buried there, were thought to be baſely buried, if they were not buried in the buriall of David, or in the buriall of the Kings in Mount Sion.
The nobler ſort ſome of them had Caues hewed outTheir burials were hewed out of a rocke. of a rocke, which had ſeverall burials within them, and Chriſt was buried in ſuch a buriall, Eſa. 53. 9. He made his graue with the wicked, and with the rich, [Bamathau] in foreign Excelſa eiu….excelſis, that is, although he was crucified with the wicked, yet he was buried in the Tombe of Ioſeph, not in a baſe buriall but an honourable buriall, which was Ioſephs owne buriall, who was an honorable man.
The Prophets were uſually buried in ſtately Tombes,The Prophets were alſo buried in ſtately burials. Iere. 26. 23. And Iehojakim ſent for Vrias the Prophet out of Egypt, and cauſed to ſ…ay him with the ſword, and cast his dead bodie in the graues of the common people: the Prophets were not uſually buried in the burials of the common people; ſo Mat. 23. 29. Woe be to you, becauſe yee build the Tombes of the Prophets, and garniſh the ſepulchres of the righteous.
For the common people they were but laid in the ground, without any Tombe, Luk. 11. 4. Yee are like graues which appeare not, and the men that walke over them are not aware of them.
They had ſome markes of diſtinction to diſcerne the Tombes of the better ſort; example we hauehave of this in Ioſhua 24. 30. it is ſaid there, that they buried him in Timnath-herah, but Iudg. 2. 9. they buried him in Timnathheres; Heres is called the Citie of the Sunne, and theyforeign Sol. changed the name of the Towne, becauſe Ioſhua was buried there, whoſe ſepulchre had the picture of the Sun drawne upon it, as the Iewes write, and the ſepulchre of Eliſha was knowne by it ſelfe in the fields, 2 King. 13. 21.
Fourthly, they were at great charges in burying of their dead, it was ſo great that many times their friends refuſed to bury them, therefore Gamaliel who was a man of power and credit amongſt them, reſtrained this. Nicodemus ſent for an hūdreth pound weight of Myrrhe and Aloes, to embalme Chriſt, Ioh. 19. 39. and Chriſt alloweth the fact of Marie, Mat. 26. 10. when ſhe poured the boxe of precious oyntment upon his head, Why trouble ye the woman, for ſhe hath wrought a good worke upon me: and Gamaliel ordained that none ſhould be wrapped in ſilke, but all in linnen, and no gold put upon them. So amongſt the Romans they were glad to diminiſhCic…rolib. 2. de ll. theſe charges, tria ſi velit recinia & vincula purpurea, & decem tibicines plus ne adhibeto.
Laſtly, after the buriall was ended they uſed to comfortThey comforted the living after the dead were buried. the living after this manner; firſt, ſit conſolatio tua in Caelis; ſecondly, quis audet d…o dicere, quid ſeciſti? thirdly, they repeated theſe words of Eſay. chap. 25. 8. he will ſwallow up death in victorie, and wipe away all teares from their faces; and Pſal. 72. 16 they ſhall flouriſh and ſpring againe as the graſſe on the earth: they b…leeved the reſurrection of the bodie, therefore they called the Church-yard [Beth chaijm,] domus viventium, and asforeign Domus viventium. our ſoules lodge but a while in the bodie as in a tabernacle, 2 Cor. 5. 1. ſo our bodies lodge but a while in the graue as in a tabernacle, Act. 2. 26. foreign, my fleſhforeign. reſteth in hope as in a tabernacle, and then they cryed, Zacor…ki gnapher anachnu, remember that we are but dust, foreign Dominus penſet jacturam tuam.and they conclude with this of Iob 1. the Lord hath given & the Lord hath taken, bleſſed be the name of the Lord. When their little children died, they uſed not many ſpeeches of conſolation, but onelyonly ſaid, the Lord recompence thy loſſe; Iob hath a notable ſaying, I came naked out of my mothers wombe, and I ſhall goe naked thither againe; How ſhall I goe thither againe? it is not taken for the ſame place, but for the ſame condition; hence it is that the inferior parts of the earth are called both the mothers wombe and the graue, Pſal. 139. 15. I was curiouſly wrought in the lower parts of the earth; that is, in my mothers wombe, Epheſ. 4. 9. Chriſt is ſaid to deſcend into the lower parts of the earth, that is, into his mothers wombe, and ſee the affinitie betwixt the belly and the graue, Chriſt joyneth them together, Mat. 12. As Ionas was three dayes and three nights in the belly of the Whale, ſo ſhall the ſonne of man be in the heart of the earth: and Salomon, Prov. 30. joyneth them together, there are three things that are not ſatisfied, the graue, and the barren wombe, &c.
The concluſion of this is, let us remember, Iob 30. Concluſion. 23. that the graue is, domus conſtitutionis omni vivo, that is, the houſe in which we are all appointed to meet, and it is domus ſaeculi, the houſe of our age in which we dwell a long time, therefore we ſhould often thinke of it, and not put the evill day farre from us, and make a covenant with death.