What Does ‘Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust’ Mean and Is it in the Bible?
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The ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ text, often read at funerals, has some origins found in the Bible. We can also trace these words from a David Bowie lyric. But the phrase doesn’t exactly have a positive ring to it. You wouldn’t really say, “Hey, man. You know how it is. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” if you want to encourage someone in the midst of a difficult time.
So why do we read this saying or a prayer (below) at funerals? And why does dust actually give us some hope for the coming Easter season? We’ll dive into these questions and more.
What Does ‘Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust’ Mean?
In Ancient Roman culture, when a general rode into town, having victoriously conquered another, a slave known as an Auriga would tell him, “Remember you are mortal.” This humbling notion has similar connotations to “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Ashes to ashes reminds us that we are but man. That we can do nothing outside of God’s will. And that, ultimately when our lives end, we will return to the earth as dust when our bodies decay. This pride check sounds uneasy, and we probably don’t like to hear it. But it actually bears an important step in securing salvation: first, acknowledging that you can’t do this on your own and need a Savior.
According to Crosswalk, “The phrase, “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust,” comes from the “The Order for the Burial of the Dead”, an “order of service” for graveside funeral services. As the dirt was being “cast upon the body by some standing by,” the Priest presiding over the ceremony … the visual reminder that the body was returning to the dust as it was being buried, the mourners were reminded that the frailty of “our vile body” should direct our hope to the certainty of eternal life and the promised resurrection from the dead.”
What Is the Origin of this Phrase? Is it Found in the Bible?
Although many people think this originated in the Bible, the exact phrasing does not occur. We can point to passages that have a similar sentiment (such as the ones listed below), but the origin of the phrase did not stem from Scripture.
As mentioned above, we can find the exact phrasing in the Book of Common Prayer, published in 1549, millennia after the Bible had been written. Nevertheless, even though the phrase does not originate from Scripture, this does not mean that we cannot see the benefits of the reminder.
Realizing that we come from dust and return to dust can help us to recognize our sinful state. No matter what earthly success or riches we accrue, none of that matters when it comes to eternity. Once we experience humility from recognizing our weaknesses, we can turn to our God, who is our strength.
The Bible has the following to say about recognizing weakness:
2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Psalm 34:17-20: “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
What Does the Bible Say about Dust?
Because God formed humans out of dust (Genesis 2:7), and the Bible tells the story of how God saves humanity, we can imagine Scripture has a lot to say about dust.
Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, they will “return to dust.” We can often think of bodies decomposing, or in the case of cremation, bodies turning to dust through a fiery process. Throughout history, civilizations attempted to mummify bodies as a way to preserve them for the afterlife. But truthfully, our bodies serve as a temporary house for our spirit. They do not last forever.
Genesis 18:27: “Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.”
Dust has humbling connotations. We cannot come into the saving arms of grace until we recognize that we can do nothing apart from God.
Ecclesiastes 12:7: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
No matter what we have accumulated on this earth, we can’t take it with us (as the saying goes). We need to make it of paramount importance to determine where our soul will go once our body returns to dust. The above passages remind us that we cannot attain salvation on our own. Mere dust cannot save a soul. But thankfully, God steps into the picture and offers us a way for salvation.
Psalm 103:13-14: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
God knows that we cannot save ourselves. He shows us compassion and mercy, knowing our weaknesses and how often we succumb to sin and temptation.
Although this article doesn’t contain specific verses about ashes, we should note a few important traits about the use of ashes in the Bible. Ashes (a type of dust) often represented repentance from sin. We see this in Jonah when the Ninevites recognize their depravity and God’s coming destruction, and they wear sackcloth and pour ashes over their head. Ashes also can mean a cleansing of sorts, as we see ashes sprinkled on various sacrifices in the Old Testament to purify them.
We even see people marking ashes on the foreheads of people in the Old Testament, during times of great destruction and woe. This can remind us of the practices we have for Ash Wednesday. Where our foreheads bear an ash cross. Helping us to remember that we need the cross to be purified of our sins.
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust Prayer
The ashes to ashes, dust to dust prayer from the Book of Common Prayer is as stated below:
Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.”
This prayer is (or was) often stated at funerals as people piled dirt on a casket or cremated a body. Ashes to ashes can give us hope that we will experience a new body in heaven if we come into a saving relationship with God.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Pattadis Walarput
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