Jeremiah 16:5

FUNERAL CELEBRATIONS ALSO FORBIDDEN

"For thus saith Jehovah, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith Jehovah, even loving kindness and tender mercies. Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them; neither shall men break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother."

"I have taken away my peace ..." (Jeremiah 16:5). It is a serious and terrible thing indeed for God to remove his peace from any person or from any nation. Keil stated that, "The consequences of the withdrawal of this peace is the death of great and small in such multitudes that they could neither be buried nor mourned for."[10]

The natural emotion of pity and regret rises in the heart as one contemplates such terrible disasters in Judah; but, in this connection, one should recall the terrible manner in which God instructed Joshua to destroy in the most ruthless and complete manner the entire populations of ancient Canaan, which were thus displaced to make room for Israel. Now that Israel had become worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, the eternal justice required their removal also.

"Nor cut themselves ... nor make themselves bald ..." (Jeremiah 16:6). This is a reference to pagan customs which were strictly forbidden in Israel (Leviticus 19:28; 2:5; Deuteronomy 14:1). However, it appears that such practices were widely prevalent anyway (Jeremiah 41:5; 47:5; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; and Micah 1:16). But there would be no time for such behavior in the approaching calamity; and the very numbers of the dead would simply forbid it.

"Neither... break bread for them ..." (Jeremiah 16:7). This is a reference to a very ancient custom that is still followed by Christian people, namely, that of providing food upon the occasion of a funeral. "Some commentators relate the custom of taking food to the bereaved after a funeral to the ritual uncleanness of a house after one died in it, making it improper to prepare food in such a house until it had been freed of the uncleanness."[11]

"The cup of consolation ..." (Jeremiah 16:7). The cup of consolation was given to the mourners on the completion of their fast; and the significance of the statement here is that not even for father or mother were such rituals to be observed. "In later Judaism, the consoling cup was a special cup of wine drank by the chief mourner."[12]