Lexical Summary
qeber: Grave, tomb, sepulcher
Original Word:קֶבֶר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:qeber
Pronunciation:KEH-ber
Phonetic Spelling:(keh'-ber)
KJV: burying place, grave, sepulchre
NASB:grave, graves, tomb, tombs, burial, burial place
Word Origin:[fromH6912 (קָבַר - buried)]
1. a sepulchre
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
burying place, grave, sepulcher
Or (feminine) qibrah {kib-raw'}; fromqabar; a sepulchre -- burying place, grave, sepulchre.
see HEBREWqabar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
qabarDefinitiona grave, sepulcher
NASB Translationburial (6), burial place (1), grave (28), graves (16), tomb (8), tombs (8).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
671Kings 13:31 ; — absolute
Genesis 23:4 +,
1 Kings 14:13 +; construct
Judges 8:32 +; suffix
Genesis 50:5, etc.; plural
Exodus 14:11 +, construct
Jeremiah 26:23 +, suffix
Jeremiah 8:1; also
Job 21:32, construct
Nehemiah 2:3 +, suffix
Exodus 32:23; 2Chronicles 16:14, etc.; —
grave, sepulchre,
Judges 8:32;
2 Samuel 2:32;
1 Kings 13:22 +;
Genesis 23:4;
Genesis 23:9;
Genesis 23:30;
Genesis 49:30;
Genesis 50:13; hewn out ()
Isaiah 22:16 (twice in verse);
Job 10:19; figurative
Jeremiah 20:17;
Psalm 88:6 the slain
lying in grave;
Isaiah 65:4they who sit in the tombs (occult rite, probably in necromancy, etc., compare Che and RS
Semitic I.180 ff.; 2nd ed. 197 ff.);
2 Kings 23:6 i.e. burial-place of common people, so
Jeremiah 26:23; plural intensive
Job 17:1, also of stately (royal) sepulchre
2 Kings 22:20=2Chronicles 34:28;
Nehemiah 3:16; 2Chronicles 16:14; compare 2 Chronicles 35:24;
Job 21:32; conceived as in lower world
Ezekiel 32:22,23,25,26, ""
Psalm 88:12;
Psalm 49:12 read for "" Vrss and most; simile of quiver
Jeremiah 5:16; figurative
Psalm 5:10; of exile
Ezekiel 37:12 (twice in verse);
Ezekiel 37:13 (twice in verse).
Topical Lexicon
Essential Sense and Scopeקֶבֶר denotes a burial place—a grave, tomb, or sepulcher—where the body is laid after death. While related ideas such as Sheol describe the unseen realm of the dead, קֶבֶר points to the tangible site in earth or rock that receives the corpse.
Distribution in the Old Testament
The term appears about sixty-eight times, spanning narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic literature. Its frequency in Genesis, Samuel–Kings, Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and minor prophets shows the centrality of burial customs throughout Israel’s history.
Literal Uses in Narrative
1. Family Tombs. The word first surfaces in the patriarchal narratives: Abraham bargains for “the cave of Machpelah … as a burial site” (Genesis 23:4-20). This establishes the pattern of family sepulchers (Genesis 25:9; 49:30-31; 50:13).
2. Covenant Loyalty. Jacob’s demand, “Bury me with my fathers” (Genesis 47:30), and Joseph’s oath-bound request for reinterment in Canaan (Genesis 50:25) weave קֶבֶר into Israel’s covenant identity with the promised land.
3. Royal Burials. Kings of Judah are commended or disgraced by where—or whether—they are laid in the royal graves: “They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings” (2 Chronicles 24:25; cf.2 Kings 23:30;2 Chronicles 21:20).
4. Prophetic Sign-Acts. Jeremiah smashes a jar in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom where “no place will remain to bury” (Jeremiah 19:11), dramatizing national judgment.
5. Acts of Kindness. After Saul’s death, valiant men “took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree” (1 Samuel 31:13), illustrating honor for the dead.
Metaphorical and Poetic Uses
1. Symbol of Mortality. “Man … will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish” and “their graves are their eternal homes” (Psalm 49:12-14).
2. Image of Security or Irony. Job longs for the grave as rest (Job 14:13) yet warns of the wicked, “Terrors overtake him like flood; a tempest snatches him from his place … destined for the grave” (Job 27:20; 30:23).
3. Parallel with Destruction. Isaiah foretells, “Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your harps” (Isaiah 14:11), where the grave underscores Babylon’s collapse.
Theological Significance
1. Dignity of the Body. Regular concern for burial affirms human worth as image-bearers even in death (Genesis 23;Deuteronomy 34:6).
2. Continuity of Covenant. Being laid with one’s fathers testifies to ongoing participation in God’s promises beyond an individual lifespan.
3. Anticipation of Resurrection. Job’s plea “that You would conceal me until Your wrath has passed” (Job 14:13) and Daniel’s prophecy that “many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake” (Daniel 12:2) invest the grave with temporary status pending divine vindication.
Messianic and Prophetic Dimensions
Isaiah declares the Suffering Servant was assigned “a grave with the wicked” yet “with a rich man in His death” (Isaiah 53:9), fulfilled when Jesus was buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s new tomb (Matthew 27:57-60), transforming the grave from finality to a stage for resurrection glory.
Cultural and Archaeological Background
Israelite graves varied from shaft burials to hewn family chambers with loculi. Grave goods were minimal compared with surrounding cultures, reflecting a hope centered on Yahweh rather than on provisioning the dead. Whitewashing tombs (Matthew 23:27) echoes Second Temple-period practices to warn pilgrims of ceremonial impurity.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Funeral Ministry. Scripture models compassionate care: “Abraham rose up … to speak to the Hittites” (Genesis 23:3), teaching sensitivity to cultural negotiations and grief.
2. Hope in Bereavement. The empty tomb of Christ stands as the decisive answer to every grave, enabling pastors to proclaim, “Death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
3. Ethical Stewardship of Land. Burial sites remind believers of land’s sanctity and the need for wise, respectful use.
Connections with New Testament Revelation
While קֶבֶר itself is Hebrew, its Greek equivalent τάφος appears in the Gospels, especially regarding Jesus’ burial (Matthew 27:60;John 19:41-42). The New Testament affirms bodily resurrection (John 5:28-29;1 Thessalonians 4:16), elevating the significance already hinted at in the Old Testament.
Selected Key Passages for Study
Genesis 23:4-20;Genesis 50:5-13
Exodus 14:11
1 Samuel 25:1;2 Samuel 2:32
2 Kings 21:26; 23:17
Job 3:22; 14:13; 17:1
Psalm 5:9; 49:14; 88:5
Isaiah 14:11; 53:9
Ezekiel 32:23
Hosea 13:14
Summary
קֶבֶר threads through Scripture as a witness to human mortality, covenant continuity, and the promise that the Lord will ultimately open the graves and bring forth life (Ezekiel 37:12). Every grave scene in the Old Testament sets the stage for the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, securing the believer’s confidence that death does not have the final word.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּקִבְר֑וֹ בְּקִבְר֣וֹת בְּקִבְר֥וֹת בְּקִבְרִ֗י בְּקֶ֖בֶר בְּקֶ֙בֶר֙ בְּקֶ֣בֶר בְּקֶ֥בֶר בְקִבְרֹתָ֗יו בְקֶֽבֶר־ בְקָ֑בֶר בַּקְּבָרִ֔ים בַּקֶּ֕בֶר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר בַקָּֽבֶר׃ בקבר בקבר־ בקבר׃ בקברו בקברות בקברי בקברים בקברתיו הַקְּבָרִ֔ים הַקְּבָרִ֤ים הַקֶּ֤בֶר הקבר הקברים כְּקֶ֣בֶר כקבר לְקִבְרֵ֖י לִקְבָר֣וֹת לַקֶּ֥בֶר לקבר לקברות לקברי מִֽקִּבְרְךָ֙ מִקִּבְרֵיהֶֽם׃ מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם מקברותיכם מקבריהם׃ מקברך קְבָרִ֥ים קְבָרִים֙ קְבָרֵ֔ינוּ קִבְר֔וֹ קִבְר֛וֹ קִבְר֤וֹת קִבְר֥וֹת קִבְרִ֔י קִבְרֵ֖י קִבְרֵ֣י קִבְרֶ֖ךָ קִבְרֹתֶ֑הָ קִבְרֹתֶ֙יהָ֙ קִבְרֹתֶיךָ֮ קִבְרֹתָ֑יו קִבְרֽוֹתֵיכֶ֗ם קִבְרוֹתֶ֑יהָ קֶ֖בֶר קֶ֗בֶר קֶ֙בֶר֙ קֶ֜בֶר קֶ֣בֶר קֶ֥בֶר קֶֽבֶר־ קָ֑בֶר קָֽבֶר׃ קָבְר֥וֹ קבר קבר־ קבר׃ קברו קברות קברותיה קברותיכם קברי קברים קברינו קברך קברתה קברתיה קברתיו קברתיך bakkevaRim bakKever ḇaq·qā·ḇer baq·qə·ḇā·rîm baq·qe·ḇer ḇaqqāḇer baqqəḇārîm baqqeḇer ḇə·qā·ḇer bə·qe·ḇer ḇə·qe·ḇer- bə·qiḇ·rî ḇə·qiḇ·rō·ṯāw bə·qiḇ·rō·wṯ bə·qiḇ·rōw beKever bekivRi bekivRo bekivRot ḇəqāḇer bəqeḇer ḇəqeḇer- bəqiḇrî ḇəqiḇrōṯāw bəqiḇrōw bəqiḇrōwṯ hakkevaRim hakKever haq·qə·ḇā·rîm haq·qe·ḇer haqqəḇārîm haqqeḇer Kaver kaveRo kə·qe·ḇer keKever kəqeḇer kevaReinu kevaRim kever kivRecha kivRei kivRi kivRo kivRot kivroTav kivroTeha kivroteiCha kivroteiChem kivroTeiha lakKever laq·qe·ḇer laqqeḇer lə·qiḇ·rê lekivRei ləqiḇrê likvaRot liq·ḇā·rō·wṯ liqḇārōwṯ mikkivreCha mikkivreiHem mikkivroteiChem miq·qiḇ·rê·hem miq·qiḇ·rə·ḵā miq·qiḇ·rō·w·ṯê·ḵem miqqiḇrêhem miqqiḇrəḵā miqqiḇrōwṯêḵem qā·ḇə·rōw qā·ḇer qāḇer qāḇərōw qə·ḇā·rê·nū qə·ḇā·rîm qe·ḇer qe·ḇer- qəḇārênū qəḇārîm qeḇer qeḇer- qiḇ·rê qiḇ·re·ḵā qiḇ·rî qiḇ·rō·ṯāw qiḇ·rō·ṯe·hā qiḇ·rō·ṯe·ḵā qiḇ·rō·w·ṯe·hā qiḇ·rō·w·ṯê·ḵem qiḇ·rō·wṯ qiḇ·rōw qiḇrê qiḇreḵā qiḇrî qiḇrōṯāw qiḇrōṯehā qiḇrōṯeḵā qiḇrōw qiḇrōwṯ qiḇrōwṯehā qiḇrōwṯêḵem vakKaver veKaver vekever vekivroTav
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