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- dust and ashes:
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- "The expression 'dust and ashes' (e.g., Gen 18:27) is a play on words (APHAR and EPHER) and signifies the origin of the human body from the ordinary chemical elements. Ashes were sprinkled over a person, or a person sat among ashes, as a sign of mourning (2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8). The word is often united with 'sackcloth' to express mourning (Jer 6:26)." (THE NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, © 1987 Zondervan, pp. 99-100)