Machpelah — Bible place

Portion; double cave, the cave which Abraham bought, together with the field in which it stood, from Ephron the Hittite, for a family burying-place (Gen. 23). It is one of those Bible localities about the identification of which there can be no doubt. It was on the slope of a hill on the east of Hebron, “before Mamre.” Here were laid the bodies of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah (Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 49:31; 50:13). Over the cave an ancient Christian church was erected, probably in the time of Justinian, the Roman emperor. This church has been converted into a Mohammedan mosque. The whole is surrounded by the el-Haram i.e., “the sacred enclosure,” about 200 feet long, 115 broad, and of an average height of about 50. This building, from the immense size of some of its stones, and the manner in which they are fitted together, is supposed by some to have been erected in the days of David or of Solomon, while others ascribe it to the time of Herod. It is looked upon as the most ancient and finest relic of Jewish architecture.

On the floor of the mosque are erected six large cenotaphs as monuments to the dead who are buried in the cave beneath. Between the cenotaphs of Isaac and Rebekah there is a circular opening in the floor into the cavern below, the cave of Machpelah. Here it may be that the body of Jacob, which was embalmed in Egypt, is still preserved (much older embalmed bodies have recently been found in the cave of Deir el-Bahari in Egypt), though those of the others there buried may have long ago mouldered into dust. The interior of the mosque was visited by the Prince of Wales in 1862 by a special favour of the Mohammedan authorities. An interesting account of this visit is given in Dean Stanley’s Lectures on the Jewish Church. It was also visited in 1866 by the Marquis of Bute, and in 1869 by the late Emperor (Frederick) of Germany, then the Crown Prince of Prussia. In 1881 it was visited by the two sons of the Prince of Wales, accompanied by Sir C. Wilson and others.

Recorded scripture occurrences (6)

References recorded in the source data; this is not an exhaustive list of mentions.

Show passage in OET: GEN 23:9

OET-RV GEN 23:9

9 so that he’ll sell me Makpelah’s cave which belongs to him and which is at the end of his field. I’ll pay full price if he’ll give it to me to use as a burial place.”

OET-LV GEN 23:9

9 So_that _he _may _give to_me DOM the _cave _of (the)_Machpelah which to_him/it which is_at_the _end _of his _field _of_his for_silver full let_him _give _it to_me among_you(pl) to_a _possession _of a _burial _site.

Show passage in OET: GEN 23:17

OET-RV GEN 23:17

17 So Efron’s field that was in Makpelah which faced Mamre (including the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field that was within all of its surrounding borders) was deeded

OET-LV GEN 23:17

17 And_he/it _rose _up the _field _of ˊEfrōn which was_in_Machpelah which to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before Mamre the_field and_the_cave which in/on/over_him/it and_all the_tree which in _the_field which in_all border _of_its round _about.

Show passage in OET: GEN 23:19

OET-RV GEN 23:19

19 Then after that, Avraham laid the body of his wife Sarah to rest in the cave in Makpelah’s field facing Mamre (also called Hevron, in the Kena’an (Canaan) region).

OET-LV GEN 23:19

19 And_after thus ʼAⱱrāhām he _buried DOM Sārāh his/its_wife/woman into the _cave _of the _field _of (the)_Machpelah on the _face _of Mamre that is_Ḩeⱱrōn in_land of _Kənaˊan/(Canaan).

Jump to OET GEN 23:9 section.

Jump to OET GEN 23:17 section.

Jump to OET GEN 23:19 section.

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