Topical Bible: Burial: Antiquity of Purchasing Places For

◄ Burial: Antiquity of Purchasing Places For ►

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The practice of purchasing burial sites is deeply rooted in biblical history, reflecting the importance of securing a permanent and honorable resting place for the deceased. This tradition is first notably recorded in the patriarchal narratives of the Old Testament, where the acquisition of burial sites is treated with great significance.

One of the earliest and most prominent examples is found in the account of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelite nation. In Genesis 23, following the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham seeks to purchase a burial site to lay her to rest. He approaches the Hittites and specifically Ephron the son of Zohar, requesting to buy the cave of Machpelah. The transaction is meticulously detailed, emphasizing the legal and formal nature of the purchase. Abraham insists on paying the full price, despite Ephron's initial offer to give it to him, underscoring the importance of owning the land outright. Genesis 23:16-18 records, "Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants. So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the boundaries of the field—was deeded over to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city."

This purchase not only provided a burial place for Sarah but also established a family tomb for future generations. The cave of Machpelah became the burial site for Abraham himself, as well as Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob, as noted in Genesis 49:29-32 and Genesis 50:13. The careful documentation of these transactions highlights the enduring value placed on having a secure and recognized burial site.

Another significant instance of purchasing a burial place is found in the narrative of Jacob. Before his death, Jacob instructs his sons to bury him in the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought. This request, recorded in Genesis 49:29-32 , underscores the importance of being laid to rest in a family-owned burial site: "Then Jacob instructed them, 'I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.'"

The tradition of purchasing burial sites continued with Joseph, who, before his death, made the Israelites swear to carry his bones out of Egypt and bury them in the Promised Land. This act, recorded in Genesis 50:24-25 and fulfilled in Joshua 24:32, reflects the enduring significance of being buried in a land that is rightfully owned and associated with one's heritage.

These biblical accounts illustrate the deep-seated tradition and theological importance of purchasing burial sites, ensuring that the deceased are honored and remembered in a place that is both legally secured and spiritually significant. The practice underscores the belief in the sanctity of the land and the desire for a lasting legacy through family burial grounds.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 23:7-16
And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... all that came in their way, and then, quickly regaining their hiding-places, were
able to ... use of it in order to ascribe to his own family an antiquity at least ...
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