# tomb ## Related Ideas: burial place, grave, gravediggers ## Definition: The terms "tomb" and "grave" refer to a place where people put the body of a person who has died. A "burial place" is a more general term that also refers to this. * The Jews buried bodies in natural caves, in caves that they dug in the side of a hill, or in holes that they dug in the ground. * In New Testament times, it was common to roll a large, heavy stone in front of the opening of a tomb in order to close it. * If in the target language the word for a tomb can only refer to a hole in which the body is placed below the ground, other ways to translate this could include "cave" or "hole in the side of a hill." * A gravedigger is a person who digs a grave to put a dead body in it. * The phrase "the grave" is often used generally and figuratively to refer to the condition of being dead or a place where the souls of dead people are. (See also: [bury](../other/bury.md), [death](../other/death.md)) ## Picture of a Tomb: ## Bible References: * [Acts 02:29-31](rc://en/tn/help/act/02/29) * [Genesis 23:06](rc://en/tn/help/gen/23/06) * [Genesis 50:05](rc://en/tn/help/gen/50/05) * [John 19:41](rc://en/tn/help/jhn/19/41) * [Luke 23:53](rc://en/tn/help/luk/23/53) * [Mark 05:1-2](rc://en/tn/help/mrk/05/01) * [Matthew 27:53](rc://en/tn/help/mat/27/53) * [Romans 03:13](rc://en/tn/help/rom/03/13) ## Examples from the Bible stories: * __[32:04](rc://en/tn/help/obs/32/04)__ The man lived among the __tombs__ in the area. * __[37:06](rc://en/tn/help/obs/37/06)__ Jesus asked them, "Where have you put Lazarus?" They told him, "In the __tomb__. Come and see." * __[37:07](rc://en/tn/help/obs/37/07)__ The __tomb__ was a cave with a stone rolled in front of its opening. * __[40:09](rc://en/tn/help/obs/40/09)__ Then Joseph and Nicodemus, two Jewish leaders who believed Jesus was the Messiah, asked Pilate for Jesus' body. They wrapped his body in cloth and placed it in a __tomb__ cut out of rock. Then they rolled a large stone in front the __tomb__ to block the opening. * __[41:04](rc://en/tn/help/obs/41/04)__ He (the angel) rolled away the stone that was covering the entrance to the __tomb__ and sat on it. The soldiers guarding the __tomb__ were terrified and fell to the ground like dead men. * __[41:05](rc://en/tn/help/obs/41/05)__ When the women arrived at the __tomb__, the angel told them, "Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. He has risen from the dead, just like he said he would! Look in the __tomb__ and see." The women looked into the __tomb__ and saw where Jesus' body had been laid. His body was not there! ## Word Data: * Strong's: H1430, H6900, H6913, H7585, H7845, G3418, G3419, G5028 ## Forms Found in the English ULB: burial place, grave, gravediggers, graves, tomb, tombs