THEOSISEphraem the Syrian
In the seventh month, burial shall occur. Anyone who traverses the land and encounters a human bone must mark the spot. From the statement noting the seven-month period for the dead to be interred, we can infer that following the day of defeat, burial was unfeasible. This could be due to the people's eagerness for spoils or perhaps because the corpses of the fallen were rapidly decomposing, making it difficult to approach those whose unburied bodies, as the prophet Zechariah describes, ‘who still stood on their feet’ (Zechariah 14:12), were in such a state of decay.
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Consequently, the Jews chose to delay burial on their day of salvation to avoid the distress of handling the decomposing remains of their adversaries, opting instead to wait until the relentless heat would further hasten decomposition, allowing animals and birds to consume them. Afterwards, the bodies, dried by the elements, could be collected and laid to rest. Thus, the burial is destined for the seventh month.