Reference: Ancestor-worship
Hastings
Every people whose religious beliefs have been investigated appears to have passed through the stage of Animism, the stage in which it was believed that the spirits of those recently dead were potent to hurt those they had left behind on earth. The rites observed to-day at an Irish wake have their origin in this fear that the spirit of the dead may injure the living. There are several traces of a similar belief in the OT. When a death took place in a tent or house, every vessel which happened to be open at the time was counted unclean (Nu 19:15). It remained clean only if it had a covering tied over it. The idea was that the spirit of the dead person, escaping from the body, might take up its abode in some open vessel instead of entering the gloomy realms of Sheol. Many mourning customs find their explanation in this same dread of the spirit but lately set free from its human home. The shaving of the head and beard, the cutting of the face and breast, the tearing of the garments
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And every open vessel which has no lid fastened upon it shall be unclean.
When brethren dwell together and one of them dies and has no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry outside unto a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in unto her and take her to him to wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. And it shall be that the firstborn which she bears shall be raised up in the name of his brother who is dead that his name be not blotted out of Israel.
I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken out any of it being unclean, nor have I given any of it for the dead; but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.
Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at his head and covered it with a cloth.
Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at his head and covered it with a cloth.
And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed with a pillow of goats' hair at his head.
And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed with a pillow of goats' hair at his head.
And the king said unto her, Do not be afraid. What didst thou see? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods rising out of the land.
And they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days.
Then David took hold on his clothes and rent them and likewise all the men that were with him.
Then David said to Joab and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes and gird yourselves with sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David himself followed the bier.
And Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it upon the rock from the beginning of harvest until water rained upon them out of heaven and allowed neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.
In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth; on the tops of their houses and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping as they come down.
And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded and covered their heads.
Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them: neither shall they break the bread of mourning for them, to comfort themselves for their death; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.
that there came certain men of Shechem, of Shiloh, and of Samaria, eighty men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.
For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way at the head of the two ways to use divination; he made his arrows bright; he consulted with images; he looked in the liver.
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind thy turban upon thy head, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet and do not cover thy lips and do not eat the bread of comfort.
They shall not pour out wine unto the LORD, neither shall he take pleasure in their sacrifices; as the bread of mourners shall they be unto them; all that eat thereof shall be polluted; for their bread shall not enter into the house of the LORD because of their soul.