10. a man's uncle--The nearest relatives had the duty of burying the
dead
(Ge 25:9; 35:29;
Jud 16:31).
No nearer relative was left of this man than an uncle.
and he that burneth him--the uncle, who is also at the
same time the one that burneth him (one of the "ten,"
Am 6:9).
Burial was the usual Hebrew mode of disposing of their dead. But in
cases of necessity, as when the men of Jabesh-gilead took the bodies of
Saul and his three sons from the walls of Beth-shan and burned them to
save them from being insulted by the Philistines, burning was
practised. So in this case, to prevent contagion.
the bones--that is, the dead body
(Ge 50:25).
Perhaps here there is an allusion in the phrase to the emaciated
condition of the body, which was little else but skin and bones.
say unto him that is by the sides of the house--that is, to the only
one left of the ten in the interior of the house
[MAURER]
(compare Note,
see on
Isa 14:13).
Hold thy tongue . . . we may not . . . mention
. . . the Lord--After receiving the reply, that none is
left besides the one addressed, when the man outside fancies the man
still surviving inside to be on the point, as was customary, of
expressing devout gratitude to God who spared him, the man outside
interrupts him, "Hold thy tongue! for there is not now cause for
mentioning with praise
(Jos 23:7)
the name of Jehovah"; for thou also must die; as all the ten are
to die to the last man
(Am 6:9;
compare
Am 8:3).
Formerly ye boasted in the name of Jehovah, as if ye were His peculiar
people; now ye shall be silent and shudder at His name, as hostile to
you, and as one from whom ye wish to be hidden
(Re 6:16),
[CALVIN].
JFB.
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