Tombs, or funerary monuments

(Gen. 35:20, Job 21:32, 2 Sam. 13:18)—in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, east of the Jordan, in Mesopotamia, as well as in neighboring countries, there still exist to this day, in considerable numbers, tombs of great antiquity and of the most varied kinds. Among the Hebrews, tombs were generally hewn out of the rock, which of course required considerable labor. The tombs of common people were doubtless made more simply and with less craftsmanship. The tombs of the patriarchs at Hebron, only partly investigated, probably consisted of a natural cave, or several caves, worked and adapted for this purpose (see Machpelah).

According to C. Pierotti’s account, these caves remain to this day in their natural state. The tomb of Christ the Savior in Jerusalem, the tombs of kings and other notable persons, are more or less elaborately worked. Some of the ancient Jews prepared tombs for themselves even during their lifetime, while others were buried in tombs prepared by their ancestors or predecessors (Judg. 8:32, 2 Sam. 2:32, 2 Kings 9:28). Tombs were built in gardens and various other places (2 Kings 21:26, 23:16, John 19:41).

For example, it may be mentioned that tombs are found even in such remote localities as the shores of the Dead Sea. In the days of Christ the Jews built tombs for the prophets and adorned the monuments of the righteous, but what these monuments and their adornments were like is not known (Matt. 23:27–29). In antiquity, the pyramids of the Egyptian kings are known to us as funerary monuments. The monument of the Maccabees at Modin is well known (1 Macc. 13:27). It was built of square stones and was so tall that it could be seen from afar; before it stood seven pyramids and, round about, great columns, upon which a dome was set.