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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Uncover not your heads; either,
1. By putting off your mitres and bonnets, or ornaments, and going bare-headed, as mourners sometimes did. See Lev_13:45 Eze_24:17,23. Or,
2. By shaving off the hair of your heads and beards, as mourners did. See Job_1:20 Jer_7:29 41:5 Eze_44:20 Mic_1:16. This latter may seem to be principally intended,
1. Because this ceremony of uncovering the head being used by the people as well as by the priests in case of mourning, as the places now alleged show; and the other ceremony here joined with it, of rending the clothes, being also common to the people; seems to imply that he speaks not of that uncovering of the head which was peculiar to the priests, but of that which was common both to priests and people, especially seeing that which is here forbidden to these priests is in the following words allowed to the people, to
bewail their death, which as at other times it was, so now probably might be performed by these same ceremonies.
2. Because the high priest is forbidden to uncover his head in way of mourning for the dead, not only at that time when he was in actual ministration, but at all times, even when he had neither his mitre nor any of the holy garments upon him, Lev_21:10.
Neither rend your clothes; give no signification of your sorrow; mourn not for them; partly lest you should seem to justify and approve of your brethren, and tacitly reflect upon God as too severe in his proceedings with them; and partly lest thereby you should be diverted from or disturbed in your present service, which God expects should be done cheerfully.
But let your brethren...bewail the burning, not so much in compassion to them against whom God hath showed such great and just indignation, as in sorrow for the tokens of Divine displeasure.