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( âְּåַéָּä , îִôֶּìֶú , ðְּáֵìָä , ôֶּâֶø , ðôῶìá ), the dead body of a man or beast (Jos_8:29; Isa_14:19; Heb_3:17, etc.). According to the Mosaic law, any Israelite became ceremonially unclean until the evening (and in turn rendered whatever he touched unclean, Hag_2:14; comp. Num_19:22), by (unwitting) contact, under any circumstances, with a dead animal of the "unclean" class (Lev_5:2; Lev_11:8 sq.; comp. Deu_14:8), or with any "clean" animal, in case it had not been regularly slain according to the prescribed mode (Lev_11:39 sq.). The eating of any (clean) beast that had died an accidental or natural death was still more strictly forbidden (Lev_22:8; comp. Eze_4:14; Eze_44:31); but it might be sold as food to a foreigner (Deu_14:2). Carrion was doubtless buried or burned. On the sepulture of persons found dead, SEE HOMICIDE. An unburied carcass (Jer_36:30; Psa_79:3) was considered by the ancients the height of indignity and misfortune (Virgil, AEn. 10:559). SEE BURIAL. The Levitical enactments respecting all dead bodies evidently had their origin in sanitary reasons in a climate so liable to pestilence (Michaelis, Mos. Recht, 4:809 sq.). On the incident of the beehive in the skeleton (Jdg_14:8), SEE BEE. On the allusion to the vulture's scent for putrid flesh, Mat_24:28 (Loder, De cadavere Judaico, ab aquilis Romnanis discerpendo, Argent. 1715; Rechenberg, De adagio Christi, etc., Lips. 1696), SEE EAGLE.