Lexical Summary mnémeion: tomb, tombs, monuments Original Word: μνημεῖον Strong's Exhaustive Concordance grave, sepulcher, tomb. From mneme; a remembrance, i.e. Cenotaph (place of interment) -- grave, sepulchre, tomb. see GREEK mneme HELPS Word-studies 3419 mnēmeíon (a neuter noun derived from 3451 /mousikós, "to remember, keep in memory") – a tomb (sepulchre). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom mnémé Definition a memorial, a monument NASB Translation monuments (1), tomb (30), tombs (7). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3419: μνημεῖονμνημεῖον, μνημείου, τό; 1. "any visible object for preserving or recalling the memory of any person or thing; a memorial, monument" (Aeschylus, Pindar, Sophocles, and following); in Biblical Greek so in Wis. 10:7; specifically, a sepulchral monument: οἰκοδομεῖν μνημεῖα, Luke 11:47; Josephus, Antiquities 13, 6, 5. 2. in the Scriptures a sepulchre, tomb: Matthew 23:29; Matthew 27:52, 60; Matthew 28:8; Mark 5:2; Mark 6:29; Luke 11:44; John 5:28; John 11:17, 31, and often in the Gospels; Acts 13:29; the Sept. for קֶבֶר, Genesis 23:6, 9; Genesis 50:5; Isaiah 22:16, etc. Topical Lexicon Concept and Scopeμνημεῖον denotes a burial place—whether a natural cave, a rock-hewn chamber, or a constructed sepulchre—serving both to receive a body and to stand as a lasting testimony to the life once lived. The term carries the idea of “memorial,” reminding the living of death’s reality while anticipating divine action beyond the grave. Old Testament Foundations Hebrew Scripture commonly employs קֶבֶר (qeber) and קְבוּרָה (qeburah) for graves, while נֵצֶב (nēṣeb) and מַצֵּבָה (maṣṣēbāh) describe memorial pillars. Abraham’s purchase of the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23) sets an early pattern of respectful interment, and the prophets condemn neglect or profanation of graves (2 Kings 23:16; Ezekiel 39:15). These themes establish the background against which the New Testament usage of μνημεῖον unfolds. Jewish Burial Customs in the Second Temple Era 1. Primary interment: a body wrapped in linen with spices laid on a rock shelf inside a family tomb (John 19:40). Such practices explain many narrative details—rolling stones (Mark 16:3), spices carried by the women (Luke 24:1), and the concern for ritual purity (John 11:55). Synoptic Witness • Condemnation of hypocrisy: “Woe to you… for you build the tombs of the prophets” (Matthew 23:29). The tomb becomes a moral metaphor: outwardly beautiful, inwardly “full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27). Johannine Emphasis John’s Gospel uses μνημεῖον more than any other book, shaping a deliberate contrast between death’s enclosure and resurrection life. 1. Lazarus: “When He came to the tomb, it was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance” (John 11:38). The raising of Lazarus foreshadows Jesus’ own victory. Acts and Apostolic Proclamation In the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch Paul declares, “When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb” (Acts 13:29), grounding the gospel in verifiable events and fulfilling Isaiah 53:9: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death.” Theological Significance 1. Verification of death: A sealed, guarded tomb eliminates any theory of swoon or theft (Matthew 27:62–66). Typology and Symbolism • Jonah’s three days “in the belly of the fish” foreshadow Christ’s sojourn “in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Practical Ministry Implications 1. Christian burial affirms bodily resurrection, treating the grave as temporary lodging, not final loss (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Contemporary Relevance Archaeological studies of first-century tombs—rolling-stone entrances, kokhim niches, and ossuaries bearing inscriptions like “Jesus son of Joseph”—provide tangible context without undermining biblical testimony. For believers, every graveside service proclaims the same hope announced at the garden tomb: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:5–6). Key References Matthew 23:27–29; Matthew 27:60–66; Matthew 28:1–8 Mark 5:2–5; Mark 15:42–47; Mark 16:1–8 Luke 11:44–48; Luke 23:50–56; Luke 24:1–24 John 5:28–29; John 11:17–44; John 19:38–42; John 20:1–18 Forms and Transliterations μνημεια μνημεία μνημεῖα μνημειοις μνημείοις μνημειον μνημείον μνημεῖον μνημειου μνημείου μνημειω μνημείω μνημείῳ μνημειων μνημείων mnemeia mnemeîa mnēmeia mnēmeîa mnemeio mnēmeiō mnemeíoi mnēmeíōi mnemeiois mnemeíois mnēmeiois mnēmeíois mnemeion mnemeíon mnemeîon mnēmeion mnēmeiōn mnēmeíōn mnēmeîon mnemeiou mnemeíou mnēmeiou mnēmeíouLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 8:28 N-GNPGRK: ἐκ τῶν μνημείων ἐξερχόμενοι χαλεποὶ NAS: Him as they were coming out of the tombs. [They were] so extremely KJV: out of the tombs, exceeding INT: out of the tombs coming violent Matthew 23:29 N-ANP Matthew 27:52 N-NNP Matthew 27:53 N-GNP Matthew 27:60 N-DNS Matthew 27:60 N-GNS Matthew 28:8 N-GNS Mark 5:2 N-GNP Mark 6:29 N-DNS Mark 15:46 N-DNS Mark 15:46 N-GNS Mark 16:2 N-ANS Mark 16:3 N-GNS Mark 16:5 N-ANS Mark 16:8 N-GNS Luke 11:44 N-NNP Luke 11:47 N-ANP Luke 23:55 N-ANS Luke 24:2 N-GNS Luke 24:9 N-GNS Luke 24:12 N-ANS Luke 24:22 N-ANS Luke 24:24 N-ANS John 5:28 N-DNP John 11:17 N-DNS Strong's Greek 3419 |
    |