Not to pray with them for the soul of their brother departed. That departed souls are in a capacity to be advantaged by the prayers of their friends, or any such thing, are corruptions of latter times; but they had a civil usage of mourning for their friends, the time for which was anciently thirty days. They mourned for Jacob forty days, Genesis 50:3; for Aaron thirty days, Numbers 20:29; so for Moses, Deuteronomy 34:8. It is probable the days were fewer for persons of an inferior quality, but they had some days for all; during which days their neighbours and friends came to visit them, and relieve them in their sorrow, with such arguments as they had.
Related Commentaries of John 11:19
John 11:19
19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.