Original Word: קְבוּרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qbuwrah
Pronunciation: keh-boo-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (keb-oo-raw')
KJV: burial, burying place, grave, sepulchre
NASB: grave, burial, burial place, tomb
Word Origin: [feminine passive participle of H6912 (קָבַר - buried)]

1. sepulture
2. (concretely) a sepulchre

burial, burying place, grave, sepulcher

Or qburah {keb-oo-raw'}; feminine passive participle of qabar; sepulture; (concretely) a sepulchre -- burial, burying place, grave, sepulchre.

see HEBREW qabar

Word Origin
from qabar
Definition
a grave, burial
NASB Translation
burial (3), burial place (2), grave (7), tomb (2).

[קְבֻרָה], and (4 t.) קְבוּרָה noun feminine grave, burial; — absolute קְבוּרָה Isaiah 14:20 2t.; construct קְבוּרֵת Jeremiah 22:19, קְבֻרַת Genesis 35:20 +; suffix קְבֻרָתוֺ Deuteronomy 34:6 +; —

1 grave> Genesis 35:20 (twice in verse); Genesis 47:30; Deuteronomy 34:6; 1 Samuel 10:2; 2 Kings 9:28; 2 Kings 21:26; 2 Kings 23:30; Ezekiel 32:23,24; ׳שְׂדֵה הַקּ2Chronicles 26:23,

2 burial, Isaiah 14:20; Ecclesiastes 6:3; קְבוּרַת חֲמוֺר Jeremiah 22:19.

קֳבָתָהּ see קֵבָה.

Definition and Scope

קְבוּרָה (qeburāh) designates a burial place—a tomb, grave, or sepulcher—and by extension the act of interment itself. The term gathers around it the ideas of remembrance, honor, and destiny, tying physical burial to covenant identity and eschatological hope.

First Occurrences and Patriarchal Practices (Genesis 35:20; 47:30)

The first two uses lie within the patriarchal narratives, setting a pattern for all later references. Jacob erects “the pillar of Rachel’s tomb to this day” (Genesis 35:20), marking a site of memory for the covenant family. Years later Jacob commands, “Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place” (Genesis 47:30). A qeburāh is therefore not merely a plot of ground; it is a testimony that God’s promises are tied to a land and a people. Transporting Jacob’s body from Egypt to Canaan proclaims faith in the oath-bound inheritance.

Covenant Continuity and Family Identity

Throughout the Old Testament the family tomb affirms continuity between generations. Even when geography shifts (Genesis 47:30) or time stretches long (Deuteronomy 34:6), the burial site witnesses to an unbroken line of divine purpose. Moses’ undisclosed tomb shows that God Himself can be the guardian of a qeburāh, keeping the focus on His word rather than on a shrine: “But to this day no one knows the place of his burial” (Deuteronomy 34:6).

Royal Burials and National Memory (2 Kings 9:28; 21:26; 23:30; 2 Chronicles 26:23)

Kingship adds political and theological weight to burial. Jehu’s servants honor Ahaziah by returning him to “his tomb with his fathers in the City of David” (2 Kings 9:28). Conversely, Manasseh is interred “in the garden of Uzza” (2 Kings 21:26), a location outside the royal necropolis, hinting at the ambivalence surrounding his reign. Josiah’s faithful service is confirmed when “they buried him in his own tomb” (2 Kings 23:30), according to the covenantal dignity due a righteous king. Uzziah, excluded from the temple because of leprosy, is nevertheless laid “in the field of the burial that belonged to the kings” (2 Chronicles 26:23), illustrating both exclusion and grace.

Sacred Geography: Rachel’s Tomb (1 Samuel 10:2)

When Samuel tells Saul that he will meet “two men by Rachel’s tomb” (1 Samuel 10:2), the location functions as a narrative waypoint charged with ancestral significance. Israel’s future king is directed to a qeburāh that embodies maternal sorrow and covenant hope (cf. Jeremiah 31:15), reminding Saul that his reign must serve God’s historical purposes.

Wisdom Literature and the Value of a Burial (Ecclesiastes 6:3)

Qoheleth bluntly observes that wealth and longevity are hollow if a man “does not receive proper burial” (Ecclesiastes 6:3). The verse assumes that a dignified qeburāh is a basic human good, echoing the creation principle that people bear God’s image and therefore deserve honor in death.

Dishonor, Judgment, and Prophetic Denunciation (Isaiah 14:20; Jeremiah 22:19)

Isaiah taunts the fallen king of Babylon: “You will not be united with them in burial” (Isaiah 14:20). Separation from an honorable grave symbolizes utter disgrace. Jeremiah declares that Jehoiakim will be “buried like a donkey—dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 22:19). Denial of a proper qeburāh embodies covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:26).

The Nations and the Pit (Ezekiel 32:23–24)

Ezekiel’s laments portray foreign armies consigned to Sheol: “Their graves are set in the deepest parts of the Pit” (32:23). Elam’s multitude lies “around her grave” (32:24). Even in judgment, separate graves acknowledge individual accountability, while the clustering of qeburōt magnifies collective guilt.

Theological Trajectory

1. Memorial and Hope: A qeburāh keeps the memory of God’s acts alive, pointing forward to resurrection. From the patriarchs to the prophets, burial places testify that death does not nullify covenant promises.
2. Honor and Shame: Scripture treats burial as a barometer of honor. A righteous life culminates in a fitting tomb; rebellion can end in exclusion from burial altogether.
3. Divine Sovereignty: God controls burial outcomes—securing Moses’ grave, assuring Jacob’s return, and decreeing dishonor upon the wicked—underscoring His lordship over life, death, and remembrance.

Ministry Applications

• Funerary ministry can draw on the biblical importance of burial to affirm both the dignity of the deceased and the hope of resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14).
• Cemeteries may be viewed as testimonies to the gospel: bodies sown in the earth await transformation (1 Corinthians 15:42–44).
• Teaching on honor in burial can comfort grieving families and encourage ethical treatment of the dead, reflecting God’s care even in death.

Summary

קְבוּרָה gathers the themes of memory, honor, covenant, and eschatological hope. Whether marking Rachel’s sorrow, housing the bodies of kings, or signaling prophetic doom, each occurrence of qeburāh points beyond the grave to the faithfulness of the Lord who will one day open every tomb.

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