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 days of Israel approached that he should die. And he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If now I have found favour in thine eyes, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt;
My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I die; in my grave which I have dug myself in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. And now, let me go up, I pray thee, that I may bury my father; and I will come again.
And every one that toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead person, or the bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.
And Samuel died; and all Israel were gathered together, and lamented him; and they 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 hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewn thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth out his sepulchre on high, cutting out in the rock a habitation for himself?
and they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him to Jehoiakim the king; and he slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the children of the people.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like whited sepulchres, which appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn in the rock; and having rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, went away.
And as he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she a widow, and a very considerable crowd of the city was with her.
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 sepulchre with you, that I may bury my dead from before me. read more. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, Hear us, my lord: thou art a prince of God among us: in the choicest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre for burying thy dead.
Hear us, my lord: thou art a prince of God among us: in the choicest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre for burying thy dead. And Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth, read more. and spoke to them, saying, If it be your will that I should bury my dead from before me, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is his, which is at the end of his field; for the full money let him give it to me amongst you for a possession of a sepulchre. And Ephron was dwelling among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, in the ears of the sons of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, No, my lord: hear me. The field give I thee; and the cave that is in it, to thee I give it; before the eyes of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land; and he spoke to Ephron, in the ears of the people of the land, saying, But if only thou wouldst listen to me, I give the money for the field: take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, hearken to me. A field of four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the money that he had named in the ears of the sons of Heth four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant. So the field of Ephron, which was at Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all its borders round about, were assured to Abraham for a possession before the eyes 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 at Machpelah, opposite to Mamre: that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And the field and the cave that was in it were assured to Abraham for a possession of a sepulchre by the sons of Heth.
And Jacob erected a pillar upon her grave: that 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 said, For I will go down to my son into Sheol mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I die; in my grave which I have dug myself in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. And now, let me go up, I pray thee, that I may bury my father; and I will come again.
And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-Peor; and no man knows his sepulchre to this day.
For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in Sheol who shall give thanks unto thee?
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death: where, O death, are thy plagues? where, O Sheol, is thy destruction? Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
And there met him, when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, two possessed by demons, coming out of the tombs, exceeding dangerous, so that no one was able to pass by that way.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are like whited sepulchres, which appear beautiful outwardly, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets and adorn the tombs of the just,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets and adorn the tombs of the just,
and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints fallen asleep arose, and going out of the tombs after his arising, entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.
And as he got out of the ship on the land, a certain man out of the city met him, who had demons a long time, and put on no clothes, and did not abide in a house, but in the tombs.
Woe unto you, for ye are as the sepulchres which appear not, and the men walking over them do not know it.
Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall go forth; those that have practised good, to resurrection of life, and those that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment.
And on the first day of the week Mary of Magdala comes in early morn to the tomb, while it was still dark, and sees the stone taken away from the tomb. She runs therefore and comes to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, to whom Jesus was attached, and says to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have laid him. read more. Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and came to the tomb. And the two ran together, and the other disciple ran forward faster than Peter, and came first to the tomb, and stooping down he sees the linen cloths lying; he did not however go in. Simon Peter therefore comes, following him, and entered into the tomb, and sees the linen cloths lying, and the handkerchief which was upon his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a distinct place by itself. Then entered in therefore the other disciple also who came first to the tomb, and he saw and believed; for they had not yet known the scripture, that he must rise from among the dead. The disciples therefore went away again to their own home. But Mary stood at the tomb weeping without. As therefore she wept, she stooped down into the tomb,
Smith
Grave.
[BURIAL]
See Burial, Sepulchres