Topical Bible: Burial: Burying Places: Sealed

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In biblical times, burial practices were an important aspect of honoring the deceased, and the sealing of tombs was a significant part of these practices. The sealing of a burial place served both practical and symbolic purposes, ensuring the protection of the body from animals and grave robbers, as well as signifying the finality of death.

Old Testament Context

The practice of sealing tombs is not explicitly detailed in the Old Testament, but the use of caves and rock-hewn tombs suggests a method of closure that would have involved sealing. For instance, the burial of the patriarchs in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:19-20) implies a form of sealing to protect the remains. The use of stones to cover the entrance of a cave or tomb was a common practice, as seen in the burial of Achan and his family, where a large pile of stones was raised over them (Joshua 7:26).

New Testament Context

The New Testament provides more explicit references to the sealing of tombs. The most notable example is the burial of Jesus Christ. After His crucifixion, Jesus was laid in a new tomb hewn out of rock, and a large stone was rolled against the entrance (Matthew 27:60). The chief priests and Pharisees, concerned about the possibility of Jesus' disciples stealing His body, requested that Pilate secure the tomb. Pilate responded by ordering the tomb to be made secure, sealing the stone and setting a guard (Matthew 27:65-66: "So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard").

The sealing of Jesus' tomb was a Roman practice, involving a cord stretched across the stone and sealed with clay or wax, bearing the official mark of authority. This act was meant to prevent tampering and to signify that the tomb was under official protection.

Symbolic Significance

The sealing of a tomb carried symbolic weight, representing the finality and solemnity of death. In the case of Jesus, the sealed tomb also served to underscore the miraculous nature of His resurrection. Despite the precautions taken to secure the tomb, the stone was found rolled away, and the tomb was empty on the third day (Matthew 28:2-6). This event is central to Christian belief, affirming the power of God over death and the promise of eternal life.

Cultural and Historical Considerations

Sealing tombs was a practice influenced by cultural and historical contexts. In the ancient Near East, tombs were often sealed to protect the deceased and to mark the boundary between the living and the dead. The use of seals in various aspects of life, including legal and religious contexts, was common, signifying authority, authenticity, and protection.

In summary, the sealing of burying places in biblical times was a multifaceted practice, serving practical, protective, and symbolic purposes. It is most vividly illustrated in the New Testament account of Jesus' burial and resurrection, highlighting the intersection of human customs and divine intervention.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 27:66
So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Appendix V in the Directory.
... the heart of man needs the consolation of prayer, it is when he is burying his dead ...
Of Burial of the Dead ... An Appendix touching Days and Places of Public Worship ...
/.../luckock/studies in the book of common prayer/appendix v in the directory.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... of Chaldaea: they dashed through the country, pillaging and burning all that came
in their way, and then, quickly regaining their hiding-places, were able to ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

John Chapter xi. 55-57; xii
... thief, who has dared to steal, not from places of any ... her keep it against the day
of my burial." [1022] He ... her alone: against the day of my burying hath she ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate l john chapter xi.htm

On the Words, and Rose Again from the Dead on the Third Day, and ...
... Now these are the symbols of the burying; and in the ... whom ran to the sepulchre, and
saw the burial-clothes, in ... clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture xiv on the words.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... that the promised gifts, offered in substance on the day of burial, should be ... of
tombs at length formed an almost uninterrupted chain of burying-places on the ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

The Ancestral Home
... it, and his name, in all the places where he ... He went forth visiting the sick, burying
the dead, collecting ... she was there to robe the departed one for burial. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/i the ancestral home.htm

Pagan Cemeteries.
... They have two or three favorite halting-places, for instance ... know that the Greens
themselves had their burial-ground on ... easy of access, that the burying of a ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter vi pagan cemeteries.htm

Of the Last Resurrection.
... sit with his only begotten Son in heavenly places, so that ... why the sacred and inviolable
custom of burying, but that ... to what end was the rite of burial, as we ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 25 of the last.htm

The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
... He erected at Habit, Kushit, and other places, several of those ... forced an entrance
into the ancient burial-place of ... and two bloody battles soon sealed his fate ...
/.../chapter iithe last days of 2.htm

The Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Judgment:
... is very natural, and fitly suiteth each particular; for, as to its burial"(1.) The ...
Nay, observe it, all these places, with many others, do rather point at a ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the resurrection of the dead.htm