John Gill Commentary Luke 7:12

"Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her." — Luke 7:12 (ASV)

Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city of Naim:

behold: there was a dead man carried out of the city; for they used not to bury in cities, but in places without, and at some distance: the burying places of the Jews were not near their cities; and they had different ways of carrying them out to be buried, according to their different ages: a child under a month old was carried out in the bosom of a person; if a full month old, in a little coffin, which they carried in their arms; one of a twelve month old was carried in a little coffin on the shoulder; and one of three years old on a bier or bed, ^F19 and so upwards; and in this manner was this corpse carried out:

who was the only son of his mother; hence the sorrow and mourning were the greater; see (Zechariah 12:10)

and she was a widow; and if she had been supported by her son, her loss was very considerable; and having neither husband, nor son, to do for her, her case was very affecting:

and much people of the city was with her; according to the age of persons was the company that attended them to the grave: if it was an infant, not a month old, it was buried by one woman, and two men, but not by one man, and two women; if a month old, by men and women; and whoever was carried out on a bier or bed, many mourned for him; and whoever was known to many, many accompanied him ^F20; and which was the case with this dead man:

of these some were bearers, and these had their deputies, and these again theirs; for as they carried their dead a great way, they were often obliged to change their bearers; and of the company, some went before the bier, and others went after it ^F21:

Besides, what also served to increase company at a funeral was, that it was looked upon as an act of kindness and mercy to follow a corpse to the grave ^F23; to which may be added, and what must always tend to increase the number at such a time, the fact that, according to the Jewish canons ^F24 ``it was forbidden to do any work at the time a dead man was buried, even one of the common people.''

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FOOTNOTES:

• F19: T. Moed Katon, fol. 24. 1, 2. & Kiddashin, fol. 80. 2. Massech. Semachot, c. 3. sect. 2, 3. Maimon. Hilch. Ebel, c. 12. sect. 10, 11.
• F20: Ut in locis supra citatis.
• F21: Vid Misn. Beracot, c. 3. sect. 1.
• F23: Maimon. in Misn. Peah, c. 1. sect. 1.
• F24: Piske Tosaphot Megilla, art. 106. T. Bab. Moed Katon, fol. 27. 2.