THEOSISEphraem the Syrian
In the seventh month, I will be laid to rest. Anyone who passes through the land and sees a human bone shall mark it. From the statement that the slain will be interred within seven months, it can be inferred that on the day of their defeat, burial was not feasible, possibly due to the people's eagerness for plunder, or perhaps because the remains of the fallen had begun to decompose rapidly. It would have been impossible to approach those who, as the prophet Zechariah notes, ‘who still stood on their feet’ (Zechariah 14:12), had flesh that had begun to decay.
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Consequently, to avoid distressing themselves on the day of victory and to refrain from touching the decayed bodies of their adversaries, the Jews delayed the burials until the time when the intense heat would cause the flesh to rot, and animals would consume them, while birds, drawn to such carrion, would have their fill. This would result in the bodies being left to dry in the air and sun, thereby allowing for a proper gathering and burial. Thus, the interment will occur in the seventh month.