Topical Bible: The Death of Saints: Jacob

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Jacob, also known as Israel, is a patriarchal figure of immense significance in the biblical narrative. His life and death are recorded in the Book of Genesis, where he is depicted as the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob's death marks the end of an era and the continuation of God's covenant through his descendants.

Biblical Account of Jacob's Death

Jacob's death is detailed in Genesis 49:29-33 and Genesis 50:1-14. Before his passing, Jacob gathers his sons to bless them and to prophesy their futures, a moment that underscores his role as a patriarch and prophet. In Genesis 49:29-30 , Jacob instructs his sons, saying, "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 from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site."

Jacob's desire to be buried in the cave of Machpelah, alongside his ancestors Abraham and Isaac, reflects his deep connection to the covenantal promises given by God to his forefathers. This burial site, purchased by Abraham, symbolizes the enduring faith and hope in God's promises regarding the land of Canaan.

The Mourning and Burial of Jacob

Upon Jacob's death, Joseph, his beloved son, demonstrates profound grief. Genesis 50:1-3 describes Joseph's response: "Then Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him, taking the full forty days required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days."

The embalming of Jacob, a practice not common among the Hebrews, indicates the influence of Egyptian customs due to Joseph's high position in Egypt. The seventy days of mourning by the Egyptians highlight the respect and honor Jacob commanded, even in a foreign land.

Following the period of mourning, Joseph seeks Pharaoh's permission to fulfill Jacob's burial request. Genesis 50:5-6 records Joseph's plea: "My father made me swear an oath when he said, ‘I am about to die; you must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now please let me go up and bury my father, and then return." Pharaoh grants this request, allowing Joseph to lead a grand procession to Canaan.

The funeral procession, described in Genesis 50:7-9, includes not only Jacob's family but also Egyptian dignitaries, signifying Jacob's importance. Upon reaching the cave of Machpelah, Jacob is laid to rest, fulfilling his final wish and reaffirming the connection to the Promised Land.

Theological Significance

Jacob's death and burial carry profound theological implications. His desire to be buried in Canaan underscores the faith in God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob himself. This act of faith serves as a testament to the enduring hope in God's covenant, despite the family's current residence in Egypt.

Jacob's blessings to his sons, given before his death, are prophetic and shape the future of the Israelite tribes. These blessings, recorded in Genesis 49, reflect God's sovereign plan and the unfolding of His purposes through Jacob's lineage.

Jacob's life and death are a testament to God's faithfulness and the unfolding of His redemptive plan through the patriarchs. His account is a reminder of the importance of faith, obedience, and the hope in God's promises, which transcend generations and geographical boundaries.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 49:33
And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered to his people.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

On all the Saints.
... On All the Saints. ... who has been the father of death, put to rout through death; and
he ... In olden time Jacob beheld a ladder erected reaching to heaven, and the ...
/.../dubious or spurious writings of gregory thaumaturgus/on all the saints.htm

How the Saints have Profitably Employed a Lie Like Hellebore.
... How the saints have profitably employed a lie like ... by some great danger is the cause
of immediate death. ... Rahab of Jericho, and the patriarch Jacob; the former ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter xvii how the saints.htm

The Saints who Fled were no Cowards.
... Chapter II. 18. The Saints who fled were no cowards. ... For the Patriarch Jacob who
had before fled from Esau, feared not death when it came, but at that ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/18 the saints who fled.htm

Concerning the Honour Due to the Saints and their Remains.
... Abraham, He said to Moses, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob [2471 ... the end [2476] ,
and Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints [2477 ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xv concerning the honour due.htm

The Kingdom Given to the Saints at the Resurrection of the Just.
... Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed ... which the righteous dead
and the living saints are made ... He argued, as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had it ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the kingdom given to the.htm

Praying Saints of the Old Testaments
... anger had entirely abated, and he vied with Jacob in showing ... We find all of God's
saints in straits at different ... the dead which he slew at his death were more ...
/.../bounds/prayer and praying men/i praying saints of the.htm

Whether the Limbo of Hell is the Same as Abraham's Bosom?
... grey hairs with sorrow to hell": wherefore Jacob knew that ... But the souls of the saints
have not at all times had the same rest after death; because, since ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the limbo of hell.htm

He Fortifies his Opinions with Regard to the Temporal and Earthly ...
... upon disobedient man in Adam, that is, death; which [stroke ... and feed thee with the
inheritance of Jacob thy father ... the heaven, is given to the saints of the Most ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxiv he fortifies his opinions.htm

The Absurd Opinion of Epicurus and the Profane Conceits of the ...
... all nations have "to ascend to the mount of the Lord and to the house of the God
of Jacob," who demands of His saints in martyrdom that death which He exacted ...
/.../tertullian/a treatise on the soul/chapter l the absurd opinion of.htm

August the Second by Jacob's Well
... AUGUST The Second BY JACOB'S WELL. ... There was only the cold, clammy silence of death. ...
to transform an outlawed woman into one of the "elect saints." How will He ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/august the second by jacobs.htm