“And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.”
My Notes
What Does Acts 7:16 Mean?
"They were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought." Stephen continues his history of Israel with the burial of the patriarchs. The detail is about inheritance and burial — the only piece of the promised land Abraham actually purchased was a grave. The first real estate the patriarchs owned in the promised land was a tomb.
The purchase of burial ground is theologically significant: the patriarchs' only property in the promise was a grave. They staked their claim to the land by burying their dead in it. The claim wasn't political or military — it was funerary. They said "this land is ours" not by conquering it but by burying their family in it.
Stephen may be conflating two Old Testament accounts (Abraham's purchase of Machpelah in Genesis 23 and Jacob's purchase in Shechem in Genesis 33:19). The compression serves his rhetorical purpose: the patriarchs' only possession in the promised land was their burial site.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What are you investing in — burying in — ground you don't yet possess?
- 2.How does buying a grave in the promised land express faith in the promise?
- 3.What's the difference between the patriarchs' faith-without-land and the Sanhedrin's land-without-faith?
- 4.What permanent commitment could you make to a promise you can't yet see fulfilled?
Devotional
The only land the patriarchs owned in the promised land was a grave. The first piece of real estate Abraham actually purchased wasn't a house or a field or a city lot. It was a tomb. A place to bury the dead.
The patriarchs staked their claim to the future by burying their past in the soil. They said 'this land is ours' not with a flag but with a funeral. The dead buried in Canaan's ground were the patriarchs' declaration of permanent intention: we're not leaving. Our bones are in this dirt. The land God promised is where our family rests.
There's something profoundly faithful about buying a grave in a land you don't own. It says: I believe the future will vindicate this investment. I may never live here, but my descendants will. My bones planted in this ground are seed for a future harvest.
Stephen tells this to the Sanhedrin — the people who have the land but have lost the faith. The patriarchs had the faith but didn't have the land. And the faith-without-land turned out to be more durable than the land-without-faith.
What are you burying — investing, planting, committing permanently — in ground you don't yet possess? What grave are you buying in the promise you can't yet see fulfilled? The patriarchs' tombs were the most permanent commitment they could make: we're here. Even in death. Especially in death. Our bones are in this ground, and this ground belongs to God's promise.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And were carried over into Sichem,.... The Syriac version reads in the singular number, "and he was translated into…
And died - Gen 49:33. He and our fathers - The time which the Israelites remained in Egypt was 215 years, so that all…
And were carried over to Sychem - "It is said, Gen 50:13, that Jacob was buried in the cave of the field of Machpelah…
Stephen is now at the bar before the great council of the nation, indicted for blasphemy: what the witnesses swore…
and were carried over into Sychem, &c. This Sychem is the Old Test. Shechem. The oldest authorities give for the latter…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture