Place Old Testament
Machpelah
Machpelah, a cave near Hebron purchased by Abraham as a burial place for Sarah and later used for other patriarchs (Genesis 23:9, 17-19). Mentioned in 6 verses across 1 book, first at Genesis 23:9.
Why it matters. A cave near Hebron; burial place of patriarchs
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.525, 35.111 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Machpelah
Machpelah was a cave located near Hebron in Canaan, which Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Genesis 23:9, 17-19). The field and the cave were deeded to Abraham as a possession for a burying place (Genesis 23:20). Abraham himself was later buried in the cave of Machpelah by his sons Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 25:9-10). The cave also became the burial place for Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah (Genesis 49:30-31), as well as Israel (or 'Jacob') (Genesis 50:13). The cave of Machpelah served as a significant burial site for the patriarchs and their wives, and it represented the Israelites' connection to the land of Canaan.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 6 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.