To cover the head with ashes was a token of self-abhorrence and humiliation (2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:3; Jeremiah 6:26 , etc.).
To feed on ashes (Isaiah 44:20 ), means to seek that which will prove to be vain and unsatisfactory, and hence it denotes the unsatisfactory nature of idol-worship. (Compare Hosea 12:1 ).
Easton's Bible Dictionary was written by Matthew George Easton, who lived from 1823-1894. This Scottish Presbyterian's other significant literary achievements were his English translations of two of Franz Delitzsch's commentaries. The nearly 4,000 entries cover material from Aaron to Zuzims!Wikipedia
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