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Connecting Statement:
Jesus continues to talk with the people along the road.
Follow me
By saying this Jesus is asking the person to become his disciple and to go with him.
first let me go and bury my father
It is unclear whether the man's father has died and he will bury him immediately, or if the man wants to stay for a longer amount of time until his father dies so he can bury him then. The main point is the man wants to do something else first before he follows Jesus.
first let me go
"before I do that, let me go"
Leave the dead to bury their own dead
Jesus does not mean literally that dead people will bury other dead people. Possible meanings of "the dead" are 1) it is a metaphor for those who will soon die, or 2) it is a metaphor for those who do not follow Jesus and are spiritually dead. The main point is that a disciple must not let anything delay him from following Jesus. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
the dead
This refers to dead people in general. AT: "the dead people" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj)