Reference: Grave
Easton
Among the ancient Hebrews graves were outside of cities in the open field (Lu 7:12; Joh 11:30). Kings (1Ki 2:10) and prophets (1Sa 25:1) were generally buried within cities. Graves were generally grottoes or caves, natural or hewn out in rocks (Isa 22:16; Mt 27:60). There were family cemeteries (Ge 47:29; 50:5; 2Sa 19:37). Public burial-places were assigned to the poor (Jer 26:23; 2Ki 23:6). Graves were usually closed with stones, which were whitewashed, to warn strangers against contact with them (Mt 23:27), which caused ceremonial pollution (Nu 19:16).
There were no graves in Jerusalem except those of the kings, and according to tradition that of the prophetess Huldah.
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And the time drew near that Israel must die. And he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, put thy hand, I pray thee, under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Bury me not, I pray t
My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die. In my grave which I have dug for me in the land of Canaan, there shall thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
And whoever in the open field touches a man who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
And Samuel died. And all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
What are thou doing here? And whom have thou here, that thou have hewed thee out here a sepulcher? Hewing him out a sepulcher on high, carving a habitation for himself in the rock!
and they fetched forth Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
and laid it in his own new sepulcher, which he hewed out in the rock. And having rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, he departed.
Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, an only begotten son who died was being carried out for his mother. And she was a widow, and a considerable crowd of the city were with her.
(Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.)
Hastings
Morish
The principal words are
1. qeber, qeburah, ?????, from 'to bury,' and hence any description of burying place, as Ge 35:20; 50:5; Mt 23:29, etc. They are often translated SEPULCHRE. Ge 23:6; De 34:6; Mt 23:27.
2. sheol, ????, the place of departed spirits. Ge 37:35; Ps 6:5; Ho 13:14; 1Co 15:55, etc. See HELL.
3. ?????, ????????, from 'to remember,' hence a memorial tomb or monument. Mt 27:52-53, etc. It is often translated SEPULCHRE, as in Joh 20:1-11; and TOMB, as in Mt 8:28, etc.
The graves were of various descriptions: some were simply holes dug in the ground and at times covered over with one or more large stones, over which men might walk unawares. Lu 11:44. Some were hewn in the rock, and a single stone placed or rolled against the mouth, the tomb of Lazarus and that of Joseph in which 'the body of Jesus was laid' being of this description. Other sepulchres or tombs were said to be built; an ornamental structure being erected over the place where the body was laid, similar to those found in nearly all modern cemeteries. Mt 23:29.
In places, and especially near Jerusalem, there are long passages, with holes cut in the sides in which the bodies were placed; and by continuing these passages such tombs could be enlarged to any extent. We read in the O.T. of the TOMBS OF THE KINGS. Those now bearing this name may be seen marked on maps to the north of Jerusalem; and others called the TOMBS OF THE PROPHETS are placed on the mount of Olives. These of course may not be those referred to in scripture.
Natural caves were also used as graves, as the cave of Machpelah. Ge 23:3-20. In Lu 8:27 we read of a demoniac who lived in the 'tombs:' these were doubtless natural caves.
The Lord compared the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees to whited sepulchres, the outward beauty of which stood in strong contrast to the dead men's bones and uncleanness within. There is a tradition that the sepulchres were white-washed once every year, that they might be readily seen and avoided. The hour comes when all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and come forth, some to the resurrection of life, and others to the resurrection of judgement. Joh 5:28-29.
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And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. read more. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, Hear us, my lord. Thou are a prince of God among us. Bury thy dead in our choice sepulchers. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou may bury thy dead.
Hear us, my lord. Thou are a prince of God among us. Bury thy dead in our choice sepulchers. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou may bury thy dead. And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the sons of Heth. read more. And he conversed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price in the midst of you for a possession of a burying place. Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the sons of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, No, my lord, hear me. I give thee the field. And the cave that is in it, I give it to thee. I give it to thee in the presence of the sons of my people. Bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. And he spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou will, I pray thee, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, hearken to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? Therefore bury thy dead. And Abraham hearkened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver that he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant. So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border of it round about, were made sure to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is in it, were made sure to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth.
And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave, the same is the Pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him.
My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die. In my grave which I have dug for me in the land of Canaan, there shall thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor, but no man knows of his sepulcher to this day.
For in death there is no remembrance of thee. In Sheol who shall give thee thanks?
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy sting? Repentance shall be hid from my eyes.
And upon his coming to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, two men being demon possessed met him, coming out of the sepulchers, exceedingly fierce, so that no man could pass by that way.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous,
Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous,
and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the sanctified who have been asleep arose. And having come forth out of the sepulchers after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.
And when he came forth upon the land, a certain man met him out of the city, who had demons of a considerable time. And he wore no clothing, and did not dwell in a house, but in the sepulchers.
Woe to you scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye are like the unseen sepulchers, and the men who walk over them do not know.
Marvel not at this, because an hour comes in which all those in the sepulchers will hear his voice, and will come forth, those who have done right to a resurrection of life, and those who have practiced wrong to a resurrection of judgment.
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene comes early, while it was still darkness, to the sepulcher, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Therefore she runs and comes to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and says to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him. read more. Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went toward the sepulcher. And the two men ran together, and the other disciple ran ahead quicker than Peter and came first to the sepulcher. And after stooping down, he sees the linen cloths lying, yet he entered not. Simon Peter therefore comes following him, and he entered into the sepulcher. And he sees the linen cloths lying, and the face cloth that was on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped up in one place separately. Therefore then the other disciple who came first to the sepulcher, also entered in, and he saw and believed. For they had not yet known the scripture that he must rise from the dead. So the disciples departed again to themselves. But Mary had stood outside near the sepulcher weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped down to the sepulcher.
Smith
Grave.
[BURIAL]
See Burial, Sepulchres