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 of his death came near, and he sent for his son Joseph and said to him, If now I am dear to you, put your hand under my leg and take an oath that you will not put me to rest in Egypt;
My father made me take an oath, saying, When I am dead, put me to rest in the place I have made ready for myself in the land of Canaan. So now let me go and put my father in his last resting-place, and I will come back again.
And anyone touching one who has been put to death with the sword in the open country, or the body of one who has come to his end by a natural death, or a man's bone, or the resting-place of a dead body, will be unclean for seven days.
And death came to Samuel; and all Israel came together, weeping for him, and put his body in its resting-place in his house at Ramah. Then David went down to the waste land of Maon.
Then David went to rest with his fathers, and his body was put into the earth in the town of David.
Who are you, and by what right have you made for yourself a resting-place here?
And they took Uriah out of Egypt and came back with him to Jehoiakim the king; who put him to death with the sword, and had his dead body put into the resting-place of the bodies of the common people.
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things.
And put it in the resting-place which had been cut out of the rock for himself; and after rolling a great stone to the door of it he went away.
Now when he came near the door of the town, a dead man was being taken out, the only son of his mother, who was a widow: and a great number of people from the town were with her.
Now Jesus had not at this time come into the town, but was still in the place where Martha had seen 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 came from his dead and said to the children of Heth, I am living among you as one from a strange country: give me some land here as my property, so that I may put my dead to rest read more. And in answer the children of Heth said to Abraham, My lord, truly you are a great chief among us; take the best of our resting-places for your dead; not one of us will keep back from you a place where you may put your dead to rest.
My lord, truly you are a great chief among us; take the best of our resting-places for your dead; not one of us will keep back from you a place where you may put your dead to rest. And Abraham got up and gave honour to the children of Heth, the people of that land. read more. And he said to them, If you will let me put my dead to rest here, make a request for me to Ephron, the son of Zohar, That he will give me the hollow in the rock named Machpelah, which is his property at the end of his field; let him give it to me for its full price as a resting-place for my dead among you. Now Ephron was seated among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite gave Abraham his answer in the hearing of the children of Heth, and of all those who came into his town, saying, No, my lord, I will give you the field with the hollow in the rock; before all the children of my people will I give it to you for a resting-place for your dead. And Abraham went down on his face before the people of the land. And Abraham said to Ephron, in the hearing of the people of the land, If only you will give ear to me, I will give you the price of the field; take it, and let me put my dead to rest there. So Ephron said to Abraham My lord, give ear to me: the value of the land is four hundred shekels; what is that between me and you? so put your dead to rest there. And Abraham took note of the price fixed by Ephron in the hearing of the children of Heth, and gave him four hundred shekels in current money. So Ephron's field at Machpelah near Mamre, with the hollow in the rock and all the trees in the field and round it, Became the property of Abraham before the eyes of the children of Heth and of all who came into the town. Then Abraham put Sarah his wife to rest in the hollow rock in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, that is, Hebron in the land of Canaan And the field and the hollow rock were handed over to Abraham as his property by the children of Heth.
And Jacob put up a pillar on her resting-place; which is named, The Pillar of the resting-place of Rachel, to this day.
And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him.
My father made me take an oath, saying, When I am dead, put me to rest in the place I have made ready for myself in the land of Canaan. So now let me go and put my father in his last resting-place, and I will come back again.
And the Lord put him to rest in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor: but no man has knowledge of his resting-place to this day.
For in death there is no memory of you; in the underworld who will give you praise?
I will give the price to make them free from the power of the underworld, I will be their saviour from death: O death! where are your pains? O underworld! where is your destruction? my eyes will have no pity.
And when he had come to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, there came out to him from the place of the dead, two who had evil spirits, so violent that no man was able to go that way.
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things.
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you put up buildings for housing the dead bodies of the prophets, and make fair the last resting-places of good men, and say,
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you put up buildings for housing the dead bodies of the prophets, and make fair the last resting-places of good men, and say,
And the resting-places of the dead came open; and the bodies of a number of sleeping saints came to life; And coming out of their resting-places, after he had come again from the dead, they went into the holy town and were seen by a number of people.
And when he had come to the land, there came to him a certain man from the town who had evil spirits; and for a long time he had had no clothing on, and was not living in a house but in the place of the dead.
A curse is on you! for you are like the resting-places of dead men, which are not seen, and men go walking over them without knowledge of it.
Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead, And they will come out; those who have done good, into the new life; and those who have done evil, to be judged.
Now on the first day of the week, very early, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the place and saw that the stone had been taken away from it. Then she went running to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple who was loved by Jesus, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the place of the dead and we have no knowledge where they have put him. read more. So Peter and the other disciple went out to the place of the dead. They went running together, and the other disciple got in front of Peter and came first to the hole in the rock; And looking in, he saw the linen bands on the earth; but he did not go in, Then Simon Peter came after him and went into the hole in the rock; and he saw the linen bands on the earth, And the cloth, which had been round his head, not with the linen bands but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who came there first went in; and he saw and belief came to him. For at that time they had no knowledge that the Writings said that he would have to come again from the dead. So then the disciples went away again to their houses. But Mary was still there outside the hole in the rock, weeping; and while she was weeping and looking into the hole,
Smith
Grave.
[BURIAL]
See Burial, Sepulchres