Malachi 4:8. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.
Chardin supposes that allusion is here made to the mode of making mortar in the East. One kind is made of a mixture of sand, ashes, and lime, which ingredients are mixed by being trodden. See note on Leviticus 14:42 (#159) and also on Nahum 3:14 (#616). There is also reference to the custom of putting the feet on conquered enemies, for an account of which see note on 1 Corinthians 15:25 (#869).