Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 7:14

"And he came nigh and touched the bier: and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." — Luke 7:14 (ASV)

He came and touched the bier.—The noun so translated is used by classical authors in various senses. Here the facts make it clear that it was according to the Jewish manner of burial. It was not a closed-up coffin, like the mummy-cases of Egypt, but an open bier on which the corpse lay wrapped in its winding-sheet and swathing bands, as in the description of the entombment of Lazarus (John 11:44) and of our Lord (John 20:6–7), with the sudarium, the napkin or handkerchief, laid lightly over the face. The immediate effect of the touch was that those who bore the bier stood still. They must have marvelled that One who was known as a Teacher should touch what most Rabbis would have avoided as bringing pollution, and their halting in their solemn march implied, perhaps, both awe and faith that the touch could not be without meaning.