Tomb

Ancient Israelite burial practice centered on placing the dead in family tombs — natural caves or rock-cut chambers — where successive generations of a family were laid. The phrase "gathered to his people" (e.g., Gen. 25:8) reflects the practice of collecting bones into the family tomb over time. The cave of Machpelah purchased by Abraham from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 23) became the patriarchal family tomb for Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah.

Rock-cut tombs with rolling stone doors were common in the Second Temple period, as evidenced by both archaeology and the gospel narratives of Jesus's burial. Joseph of Arimathea's new tomb was such a rock-cut chamber (John 19:41–42; Matt. 27:60). Jesus's resurrection involved the stone being rolled away and the tomb found empty (Luke 24:2). The whitewashing of tombs (Matt. 23:27) was a Passover practice to mark them so that priests could avoid corpse-uncleanness. Royal tombs in the City of David are mentioned (1 Kings 2:10; Acts 2:29).