Machpelah

Portion; double cave, the cave which Abraham bought, together with the field in which it stood, from Ephron the Hittite, for a family burying-place (Gen. 23). It is one of those Bible localities about the identification of which there can be no doubt. It was on the slope of a hill on the east of Hebron, “before Mamre.” Here were laid the bodies of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah (Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 49:31; 50:13). Over the cave an ancient Christian church was erected, probably in the time of Justinian, the Roman emperor. This church has been converted into a Mohammedan mosque. The whole is surrounded by the el-Haram i.e., “the sacred enclosure,” about 200 feet long, 115 broad, and of an average height of about 50. This building, from the immense size of some of its stones, and the manner in which they are fitted together, is supposed by some to have been erected in the days of David or of Solomon, while others ascribe it to the time of Herod. It is looked upon as the most ancient and finest relic of Jewish architecture. On the floor of the mosque are erected six large cenotaphs as monuments to the dead who are buried in the cave beneath. Between the cenotaphs of Isaac and Rebekah there is a circular opening in the floor into the cavern below, the cave of Machpelah. Here it may be that the body of Jacob, which was embalmed in Egypt, is still preserved (much older embalmed bodies have recently been found in the cave of Deir el-Bahari in Egypt, see PHARAOH), though those of the others there buried may have long ago mouldered into dust. The interior of the mosque was visited by the Prince of Wales in 1862 by a special favour of the Mohammedan authorities. An interesting account of this visit is given in Dean Stanley’s Lectures on the Jewish Church. It…

(double, or a portion). [Hebron]

double

MACHPE'LAH (double cave), a field in Hebron containing the cave which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite as a burial-place for his family. A full account of the negotiations, carried on after the Oriental forms still prevalent, is given in Gen 23. That cave became the burial-place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. Gen 23:19; Gen 25:9; Gen 49:29-32; Gen 50:12-13. The name does not occur except in the book of Genesis. The cave Machpelah is one of the Bible sites which are positively known. It was situated on the western slope of a hill in Hebron, the town lying for the most part to the south and west. Present Appearance. — A large structure called El Haram, "The Sacred Enclosure," surrounds the ancient cave. It stands high up the slope on the eastern side of the valley, conspicuous at a distance for its size. The outer wall, which contains not a single window, is 194 feet long, 109 feet wide, and from 48 to 58 feet high. The stones are of immense size (one of them 38 feet long and 4 wide), dressed and fitted with great care, and resemble those of the substructure of the temple at Jerusalem. Opinions differ as to the age of this building. Some ascribe it to David or Solomon, others to the period after the Captivity, still others to the time of Herod, who rebuilt the temple; but there seems to be no good reason for disputing the view of Robinson, who regarded the external structure of the Haram as the work of Jewish hands, erected long before the destruction of the nation. Tristram and Stanley also accept the identification of Machpelah as certain, and hold it beyond doubt that the main stone enclosure was built by the kings of Judah, and most probably by Solomon or David. Within the enclosure is a mosque, which was probably erected in the time of…

MACHPE'LAH (double cave), a field in Hebron containing the cave which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite as a burial-place for his family. A full account of the negotiations, carried on after the Oriental forms still prevalent, is given in Gen 23. That cave became the burial-place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. Gen 23:19; Gen 25:9; Gen 49:29-32; Gen 50:12-13. The name does not occur except in the book of Genesis. The cave Machpelah is one of the Bible sites which are positively known. It was situated on the western slope of a hill in Hebron, the town lying for the most part to the south and west. Present Appearance. — A large structure called El Haram, "The Sacred Enclosure," surrounds the ancient cave. It stands high up the slope on the eastern side of the valley, conspicuous at a distance for its size. The outer wall, which contains not a single window, is 194 feet long, 109 feet wide, and from 48 to 58 feet high. The stones are of immense size (one of them 38 feet long and 4 wide), dressed and fitted with great care, and resemble those of the substructure of the temple at Jerusalem. Opinions differ as to the age of this building. Some ascribe it to David or Solomon, others to the period after the

Captivity, still others to the time of Herod, who rebuilt the temple; but there seems to be no good reason for disputing the view of Robinson, who regarded the external structure of the Haram as the work of Jewish hands, erected long before the destruction of the nation. Tristram and Stanley also accept the identification of Machpelah as certain, and hold it beyond doubt that the main stone enclosure was built by the kings of Judah, and most probably by Solomon or David. Within the enclosure is a mosque, which was probably erected in the time of…