מלכים א, פרק י״ג, פסוק ל׳

Following a tragic death, the fallen man of God receives a respectful burial accompanied by deep mourning. He is laid to rest not in his own family plot, but within the private burial estate of the old prophet. The commentators agree that the old prophet had carefully prepared this tomb in the city for his own eventual passing, yet he chose to offer it as a final resting place for the deceased [רש"י, מצודת דוד, רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

As the burial takes place, a heartfelt eulogy is delivered. The primary approach among commentators is that the old prophet and his sons stood by the grave to mourn the dead [מצודת דוד, רד"ק, רלב"ג]. However, another perspective suggests a much wider circle of grief. It is possible that the entire city gathered to participate in the mourning, moved by the powerful deeds the man of God had performed in Bethel and the bold prophecies he had delivered to King Jeroboam [רלב"ג].

The mourning is marked by a loud wail, a cry of complete heartbreak [מצודת ציון]. By calling out to the departed as a brother, the mourners express a deep sense of sadness and closeness. This is the painful cry of a person grieving a dear friend, capturing the true sorrow of losing a companion [מצודת דוד].