Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-05-19
The First Recorded Burial,


The irst mention, in tho Hebrew
Scriptures, Of Il burial, is that OF Sarah,
the wife of Abraham. or each Of the
patriarchs, with one exception, whose
names are recorded in the 9th Of
Genesis, it is briefly said, "and he
died" 1t is not added, sand was
buried" From the death of Abel, the
first to die, to thatoi Sarah, period
of two thousand years, in no instance
are we told what disposition was
made of the mortal remains. "All the
DAYS that Adam lived were nine hun
dred aud thirty years and he died.
What was the "order for the burial
of the dead" at the funeral Of the first
man? And where did they day his
body
The first burial place described in
the sacred records is the cave which
was selected as the burial place Of
Sarah Of this sepulchre we have, in
the book of Genesis, a history Of af-
fecting simplicity and beauty. While
Abraham was stranger and a So
iourner at Hebron, his wife died, and
he was obliged TO seek for her burial
place. The people of the land honored
him as mighty prince among them,
and offered him his choice of their
sepulchres. He must have apprecia-
ted tho kindness of the offer, but he
naturally preferred a family burial
place of his own, and he had set his
heart on a cave in the field of Mac.
phelah, which seemed fitted for the
sad purpose. The field and cave
therein belonged to Ephron, the Hit
tite. For some reason, which does
not appear, Abraham did not first
apply TO this man for the purchase OF
the cave, but he asked his friends
and his neighbors TO apply for him.
Ephron offered Abraham both the
field and the cave as gift. The
beroaved patriarch was unwilling thus
to receive them. He would not be
DEPENDENT 50 long as no necessity
required it, on the generosity OF
Others, nor would he bury his beloved
dead in sepulchre that cost him
nothing. 81 will give the money for
the field" be said to Ephron, take it
of me, and Twill bury my dead there. y
Ephron, in reply, named four hundred
shekels OF silver as the worth Of the
field. This sum Abraham paid by
weight TO Ephron, in the presence of
the people Of the land. The contract
and payment having been publicly
witnessed, the field, with the cave
therein, "and all the trees that were
in the field" became the property of
Abraham and his heirs.
This is the first recorded instance Of
legal conveyance of real estate, and
it is remarkable that il is the convey
ance of burial place. All men can
not be landholders, but every man
may reasonably expect to have, some
day, as much land as may serve for a
grave. In the cave of Macphelah
Abraham buried his wife Thirty
eight years passed away and his sons
buried him in the cave One hundred
and thirty.two years later, Jacob,
dying in Egypt, remembered that
family sepulchro, ard charged his
sons to bury him therein. Having
described it as "the cave that is in the
field of Macphelah, before Mamre, in
the land of Canaan, which Abraham
bought with the field of Ephron the
Hittite." he added the words so ten
derly expressive of the natural wish
to rest among ones kindred-"There
they buried Abraham and Sarah his
wife there they buried Isaac and
Rebekah his wife and there buried
Leah" After these specific directions
there could be no mistake as to the
locality Of the sepulehre to which
Jacobs las. thoughts and wishes were
turned, and his sons accordingly car
ried him into Canaan and laid him
with his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
With the burial Of Jacob the record
of burials in the cave of Macphelah
closes. The cave is not now in the
possession of its rightful owners, the
heirs of Abraham. Little did the
honored patriarch imagine when he
purchased it as a burial place, that in
distant ages it would lie within the
walls of a mosque, while his descend
ants, whose presence in the land
should be its protection, would be
scattered among the nations tan
astonishment, a proverb and a by
word"-because they would not listen
unto the voice of the Lord their God
And yet it is gratifying to know that
the tomb of the patriarch has beer
protected, though by the hands o
Turks, infdels, and heretics." WhaI
countless multitudes of the wise ant
good have passed away of whose
graves we know nothing.
"Dust long outlasts the storied stone;
But fhey'--their' very dust is gone