Acts 8:2

And devout men carried Stephen to his burial On devout, see Acts 2:5 note.

The verb often means "to prepare a dead body for burial," but in Thuc. vi. 72 it is found exactly as used here.

The Jews paid great attention to funeral rites. Cp. Midrash Rabbahon Genesis 47:29 (par. 96), "Deal kindly and truly with me," literally, "Do with me kindness and truth." Is there then a kindness of falsehood, that he says, kindness and truth? How is this? There is a common proverb which says, "Is the son of thy friend dead?" Put on the load (i.e. bear the burden with him). Is thy friend himself dead? Put off the load (his survivors will not requite you for your sympathy). Therefore he says to him, "If thou wilt do me a kindness after my death, that is a kindness of truth." And in all Ashkenazic prayer-books it is said: "These are the works of which a man reaps the interest in this world, and the capital endures in the world to come; the honouring of father and mother, the doing of acts of mercy, … the bearing forth the dead, the reconciliation of a man to his neighbour, but the study of the Torah is above them all." Cp. Mishna Peahi. 1 for a part of this.

and made great lamentation over him The word expresses the beating on the breast which is one of the outward expressions of great sorrow. The Hebrew word for mourning (Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 3:31, &c.) has the same sense. It must have needed no little courage at such a time to perform the funeral rites for one who had fallen as Stephen had, by the fury of the whole people.