She was sick, and died - Even her holiness and usefulness could not prevent her from sickness and death. Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return, is a decree that must be fulfilled, even on the saints; for the body is dead, sentenced to death, because of sin, though the spirit be life because of righteousness.

Whom when they had washed - Having the fullest proof that she was dead, they prepared for her interment. In most nations of the world it was customary to wash their dead before they buried them, and before they laid them out to lie in state, as Homer tells us was the case with the body of Patroclus: -

̔ ̔, ̔ ,

Ϛ , Ϛ

-

, ' ͅ

- Iliad xviii. 343.

"So saying, he bade his train surround with fire

A tripod huge, that they might quickly cleanse

Patroclus from all stains of clotted gore.

They on the blazing hearth a tripod placed,

Infused the water, thrust dry wood beneath,

And soon the flames, encompassing around

Its ample belly, warm' d the flood within.

Soon as the water in the singing brass

Simmer' d, they bathed him, and with limpid oil Anointed.

They stretch' d him on his bed, then cover' d him

From head to feet with linen texture light,

And with a wide unsullied mantle last."

Cowper.

The waking or watching of the dead was also practised among the ancient Greeks, as we learn from a preceding paragraph, where Achilles, addressing his dead friend Patroclus, tells him: -

̔·

,

Il. xviii. 338.

- "Mean time, among

My lofty galleys thou shalt lie, with tears

Mourn' d day and night, by Trojan captives fair

And Dardan, compassing thy bier around."

Cowper.

A similar description is given by Virgil of the funeral obsequies of Misenus, Aeneid vi. ver. 212.

Nec minus interea Misenum in littore Teucri

Flebant, et cineri ingrato suprema ferebant.

Pars calidos latices et aena undantia flammis

Expediunt, corpusque lavant frigentis et ungunt

Fit gemitus: tum membra toro defleta reponunt,

Purpureasque super vestes, velamina nota,

Conjiciunt , etc .

"Meanwhile, the Trojan troops, with weeping eyes,

To dead Misenus pay his obsequies.

First from the ground a lofty pile they rear

Of pitch-trees, oaks, and pines, and unctuous fir:

The fabric' s front with cypress twigs they strew;

And stick the sides with boughs of baleful yew;

The topmost part his glitt' ring arms adorn:

Warm waters then, in brazen cauldrons borne,

Are pour' d to wash his body, joint by joint;

And fragrant oils the stiffen' d limbs anoint.

With groans and cries Misenus they deplore.

Then on a bier with purple cover' d o' er

The breathless body, thus bewail' d, they lay."

Dryden.

These rites, in many respects, resemble those still used among the native Irish. See the account of the funeral ceremonies of the Egyptians, in the notes on Genesis 50:2 (note). The primitive Christians washed the bodies of their dead not only out of decency and affectionate respect to them, but as a token of their firm belief in the resurrection of the dead.

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,316+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Email address Send Me the Daily Verse Leave this field empty

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.