SPECIAL TOPIC: BURIAL PRACTICES

I. Mesopotamia

A. Proper burial was very important to a happy afterlife, which was often
viewed as an extension of this life (see
SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE
THE DEAD?).

B. An example of a Mesopotamian curse is, “May the earth not receive
your corpses.”

II. Old Testament

A. Proper burial was very important (cf. Eccl. 6:3).

B. It was done very quickly (cf. Sarah in Genesis 23 and Rachel in
Gen. 35:19 and notice Deut. 21:23).

C. Improper burial was a sign of rejection and sin.

1. Deuteronomy 28:26

2. Isaiah 14:20

3. Jeremiah 8:2; 22:19

D. Burial was done, if possible, in family vaults in the home area (i.e.,
“slept with his fathers”).

E. There was no embalming, as in Egypt. Mankind came from dust and
must return to dust (e.g., Gen. 3:19; Ps. 103:14; 104:29). Also note
SPECIAL TOPIC: CREMATION

F. In rabbinical Judaism it was difficult to balance a proper respect
and handling of the body with the concept of ceremonial defilement connected to
dead bodies.

III. New Testament

A. Burial quickly followed death, usually within twenty-four hours.
The Jews often watched the grave for three days, believing that the soul could
return to the body within that timeframe (cf. John 11:39).

B. Burial involved cleaning and wrapping of the body with spices
(cf. John 11:44; 19:39-40).

C. There were no distinctive Jewish or Christian burial procedures (or items
placed in the grave) in first century Palestine.