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Who was Machpelah in the Bible?

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). Machpelah appears in 6 verses of the Bible.

What does the Bible say 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.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Machpelah appear in the Bible?

Machpelah is referenced in 6 verses. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Genesis 6

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Machpelah.

MamreCanaanCaveBurialEphronAbraham

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Machpelah?

Machpelah appears in 6 verses, all of them in Genesis.

Which books of the Bible mention Machpelah?

Just one: Genesis.

Where can I read every verse about Machpelah?

This page lists 6 of them. Protos carries all 6, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Genesis with Machpelah explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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