To die is to join the vast number of ancestors who have already gone that way (Gen. 47:30; 49:29). After death came burial, usually in a family tomb with multiple burials (II Sam. 17:23). For the aged such death was normal, the person being "old and full of days" (Job 42:17 NASB), having completed the normal accomplishments of life. But not all have that normal experience; some die in punishment before they are full of years (Num. 16:29-30).
Death brought the family and community together to mourn (I Sam. 25:1). Mourning included tears (Gen. 23:2) and led to recovery (38:12) and consolation (II Sam. 13:39). Pagan mourning rites such as slashing one's skin were forbidden to Israel (Deut. 14:1). Even touching a corpse was forbidden (Lev. 11:31).
Death is more than a physical event. Sin leads to death (Gen. 2:17; Ezek 18), but humans can choose life (Deut 30:15-20). The sin and death relationship is an individual one, but those who understand the relationship have responsibility to warn others (Ezek. 3:17-21).
What happened to the dead? They went through the "gates of death" (Ps. 9:13; Isa. 38:10) into the "chambers of death" (Prov. 7:27). They became entangled in the "cords of death" (Ps. 18:4), awash in the "torrents of destruction (Ps. 18:4), and trapped in the "snares of death" (Ps. 18:5). Unable to partake of the tree of life, the dead returned to dust (Gen. 3:19; compare Ps. 90:3). Humans die like animals (Eccl. 3:19).
Nations die as well as individuals. Such a nation can live again (Ezek. 37). Israel can at least say that GOD gives hope for new life to those sick unto death (Ps. 33:19; 56:13; 116:8). Did Israel have a greater hope for triumph over death than this? The answer rests with the understanding of the Hebrew concept of Sheol and with our understanding of key verses.
Sheol is a Hebrew synonym for death (II Sam. 22:6). This has led the NIV translators to translate Sheol consistently as death. Many interpreters, however, see Sheol as the abode of the dead (see Deut 32:22). All people go to Sheol at death, good or bad (compare Gen. 37:35; Num. 16:30). Sheol can be compared to a large animal with insatiable appetite (Is. 5:14; compare Prov. 30:16). It is excited at the prospect of guests coming (Is. 14:9). In contrast to heaven Sheol is the deepest part of the earth and thus the widest distance from the heavens (Amos 9:2). Sheol shuts people off from GOD and from worship (Is. 38:18; Ps. 6:5) and shuts people off from GOD's care (Ps. 88:3-5). Still, Sheol is no place to escape from GOD (Amos (;2; compare Ps. 139:8).
Two passages are crucial for understanding Sheol. Ezekiel 32:17-32 describes the wicked activities in Sheol. These people speak (v.21). Isaiah 14:9-17 describes the fate of the Babylonian king in Sheol. There he was greeted by the dead. There former leaders rose from their thrones. They mocked him, saying he was as weak as they. All pomp was gone.
Was this poetic description of death designed to mock and degrade Babylon without picturing life in Sheol literally? Or does it picture Sheol as a place of shadowy existence with earthly rank and power still recognized but in meaningless form.
Death holds no hope for Israel then. It leads only to Sheol, however existence there is pictured. But GOD does hold hope for Israel (Hos. 13:14). Not only nations can rise. So can individuals. Some OT passages provide language from which the church easily draws hope for resurrection (Job 14:1-22; 19:25-27; Ps. 16:7-11; 17:15; 33:18-22; 71:20).
Three OT passages are mountain peaks from which we can view the clear NT hope of resurrection and eternal life. Psalm 49:9-15 promises redemption from Sheol and presence with GOD. Isaiah 26:19 promises that the earth will give birth to its dead so that the dead will live. Thus the dead can shout for joy. Daniel 12:2 declares resurrection for both the wicked and the faithful, either to eternal contempt or eternal life.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ made totally clear what the OT had begun to point toward. Life after death is a reality, not just a hope. Death in all its ugliness is real. Resurrection through Christ is the beautiful reality that leads from death to everlasting life.
This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Death is a term which, when applied to the lower orders of living things such as plants and animals, means the end of life. With reference to human beings, however, death is not the end of life. The Bible teaches that man is more than a physical creature; he is also a spiritual being. For man, therefore, physical death does not mean the end of existence but the end of life as we know it and the transition to another dimension in which our conscious existence continues.
The Bible speaks of death in the threefold way: physical, spiritual, and eternal. The first physical death of a human being recorded in the Bible is that of Abel, who was murdered by his brother Cain (Gen. 4:8). However, death itself, in both the physical and spiritual sense, is first mentioned by This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Himself (Gen. 2:17). In the Genesis account of the Fall both physical and spiritual death come as a result of sin (Rom. 5:12-21).
Various attitudes toward death are expressed in the Bible, from dread to anticipation. The ancient Hebrews regarded death as entrance into Sheol, where they were cut off from everything dear in life, including This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. and loved ones. But This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. revealed to the psalmist that the Redeemer This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. is both in heaven and in Sheol (Ps. 139:7-8), and He is able to bring a person out of Sheol ("the grave"; I Sam. 2:6).
Because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. " (Rom. 3:23), all men are spiritually dead - separated from This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. who is the Source of spiritual life. Sin makes a person hate the light and despise the truth; it causes one to break This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. 's laws and to become insensitive to holy things. Everyone who has not been redeemed by Christ is spiritually dead (Luke 15:32; Eph. 2:1-3; Col. 2:13).
The Bible also speaks of "the second death" (Rev. 2:11), which is eternal death, the everlasting separation of the lost from This article is taken from the Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Editor, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., published 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. in Hell. The "second death" is equated with "the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14); "the lake which burns with fire and brimstone...is the second death" (Rev. 21:8).
The Apostle Paul speaks of death as an enemy: "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death" (I Cor. 15:26). In His resurrection, Jesus conquered death - physical, spiritual, and eternal. Through fear of death, men are subject to bondage (Heb. 2:15); but "our Savior Jesus Christ...has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (II Tim. 1:10).
This article is from the IBD. See above.
Burial is the interment of the dead. Due to the hot climate of Palestine, dead bodies decayed rapidly, so burial usually took place within a few hours after death. If someone died late in the day, burial took place the next day, but always within 24 hours after death.
When death occurred, the oldest son or nearest of kin closed the eyes of the dead (Gen. 46:4), and the mouth was closed and the jaws bound up (John 11:44). After the body was washed (Acts 9:37), and the mouth was closed and the jaws bound up (John 11:44). After the body was washed (Acts 9:37), it was usually wrapped in cloth. The wealthy used linen with spices placed between the folds (John 19:40).
The Hebrews did not follow the Greek custom of cremation, except in an emergency, such as in the case of Saul and his sons, who were slain by the Philistines (I Sam. 31:12). After the valiant men had burned the bodies of Saul and his sons, however, they buried their bones (I Sam. 31:13).
Neither did the Israelites generally use coffins or embalm their dead. The only biblical mention of a coffin (KJV) is in Genesis 50:26, where it may refer to a sarcophagus made of limestone. After it was wrapped, the body was placed on a bier and taken to a burial place.
Depending upon economic and social status, burial was either in a shallow grave covered with stones or in a cave or tomb hewn out of stone. Tombs were made secure by rolling a circular stone over the entrance and sealing the tomb (Mark 16:3-4). This was done to secure the body from animals. Graves were often marked with a large, upright stone.
For a body not to be buried was considered a great shame and a sign of GOD's judgment (I Kings 14:11; II Kings 9:36-37). Unburied bodies polluted the land (Ezek. 39:11-16).
The Egyptians and the Babylonians took great pains to prepare their dead for the afterlife. Personal belongings, as well as food and drink, were often placed in the graves. The Egyptians perfected the intricate process of mummification, which included embalming. In the intricate interiors of the pyramids, the mummified bodies of Egyptian royalty were buried. Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans often cremated their dead and deposited their ashes in ornate funeral urns.
Tombs. A tomb is an elaborate burial place for the dead. In Palestine ordinary people were buried in shallow graves covered by stones or a stone slab. People of importance and wealth were placed in tombs.
The most elaborate examples of tombs are the pyramids of Egypt, which served as burial places for the Pharaohs. Other and more conventional tombs are found in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. Placed in the tomb with the body were items needed in the afterlife - treasures often later taken by grave robbers. Such treasures were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. His tomb escaped the robbers because another tomb was built over it; its location was unknown until the 1920s.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells of the riches placed in David's tomb (I Ki. 2:10) in Jerusalem, which was robbed centuries later. The sepulcher consisted of several chambers. The traditional site of the tomb of Herod the Great is Herodium, about six kilometers (four miles) southeast of Bethlehem. Originally it was one of a series of strongholds built by Herod. At his request he was buried there in 4 B.C. This tomb is situated beneath an imposing structure with a sloping passage leading down to the burial place.
Tombs were of two types - natural caves and those hewn out of rock. The most famous natural tomb is the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place for Sarah (Genesis 23). Abraham himself was later buried there (Gen. 25:9-10). It was apparently used as a family burial place, because Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob were also buried in this cave (Gen. 49:29-33; 50:12-13). Rachel, Jacob's other wife, died in childbirth near Bethlehem. She was buried in a grave upon which Jacob set a pillar (Gen. 35:16-20). Today, a building stands over the site.
Tombs were usually a distance from the places where the living dwelt. In special cases, such as David and other kings, they might be situated within the city walls (I Kings 2:10) or in a garden near a person's house (II Kings 21:18). Usually they were outside a city or town (Luke 8:27), but they might be in a garden (John 119:41).
If burial caves were not large enough to accommodate the number of bodies, they were enlarged by excavation (Gen. 50:5). In smaller families places for the bodies were hewn out of the cave or tomb floor. For instance, to the right of the entrance to the Garden Tomb are places for two bodies side-by-side with a bone receptacle or niche between the two at the head. To the left of the entrance beyond a dividing wall, the tomb is unfinished. Since there is room for two bodies, perhaps it was a family tomb for the parents and two children.
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