Dead bodies were to be treated with respect
2 Samuel 21:12–14; Ecclesiastes 6:3
Unburied dead bodies were a sign of God's curse upon Israel
Deuteronomy 28:26; Jeremiah 16:4
Contact with dead bodies
The high priest was not to touch a dead body
Contact with a dead body made a person unclean
Numbers 19:11 See also Numbers 9:6–10, Numbers 19:16
Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.
Jesus Christ was willing to touch a dead body
Matthew 9:25 parallels Mark 5:41, Luke 8:54; Mark 9:26–27; Luke 7:14
The reluctance to approach dead bodies because of the smell
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.