Death was accompanied with ritual mourning and professional wailers were employed (2 Sam. 3: 31; Matt. 9: 23; Acts 9: 39). The length of time for wailing depended on the social position of the deceased.
Citation for wailing
Citation styles are based on the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed., and the MLA Style Manual, 2nd Ed..
MLA
"wailing." In A Dictionary of the Bible. Ed. W. R. F. Browning. Oxford Biblical Studies Online. May 21, 2013. <http://www.oxfordbiblicalcstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e2009>.
Chicago
"wailing." In A Dictionary of the Bible. , edited by W. R. F. Browning. Oxford Biblical Studies Online, http://www.oxfordbiblicalcstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e2009 (accessed May 21, 2013).