Burial is the most common and biblically supported practice for handling the body after death. Throughout Scripture, burial is treated as a respectful and honorable way of laying the dead to rest, often accompanied by mourning and reverence.
From Abraham onward, burial was the standard among God’s people. When Sarah died, Abraham secured a burial site:
“Then Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah…” (Genesis 23:19)
The patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, were all buried, showing the enduring practice of honoring the dead with proper burial. Jacob made Joseph swear to bury him in the land of Canaan, not in Egypt (Genesis 49:29–30), and Joseph requested the same (Genesis 50:25).
Burial often reflected the hope of resurrection. Job 19:25–26 expresses this faith:
“For I know that my Redeemer lives… And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.”
Jesus Himself was buried after His crucifixion. Matthew 27:59–60 says:
“When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb…”
This fulfills prophecy and affirms the dignity of burial. Early Christians followed this example, laying believers to rest in anticipation of the resurrection.
Though burial is not commanded, it aligns with biblical tradition, expressing reverence for the body and faith in God’s promise of bodily resurrection. Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 15:42:
“The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption…”
Biblical burial reflects both respect for the body as God’s creation and hope in the future resurrection of the dead.
