Question 11 - Where was the grave? Whose was the place?

Genesis 50:13 NKJV - "For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place."

           Acts 7:15-16 NKJV - ""So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers." And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem."

Answer:              

                According to those days’ customs and traditions, the graves were small stone caves, some were artificially carved, and some were constructed. And some were formed naturally. As in these days burial grounds, where thousands of people, were buried in the earth serially, there is no chance and facilities to bury in those days in stony cave graves. Jacob and their forefathers could not fit in one stony cave which was brought from one man by cost. By this reason, Abraham brought another stony cave from other person.

In Genesis 23:1-19, Sarah died in Kirjatharba in the land of Canon, Abraham asked sons of Heth for burial ground. He purchased a field from Ephron the son of Zohar for 400 shekels and silver. This field was in Machpelah and had a cave. Abraham asked sons of Heth first that implies the field owned by sons of Heth and the field owned by Ephron are next to each other. So, first Abraham asked sons of Heth and realized that Machpelah cave is in field owned by Ephron and bought it from him. Abraham bought the field which had cave of Machpelah which is located at the end of Ephron’s field that implies there are more portions of the field and these portions may belong to the sons of Heth and Ephron. Genesis 25:8-10 implies that Abraham thought the land purchased from Ephron during burial of Sarah is not enough and purchased the lands next to it which are owned by sons of Heth. You can notice that more descendants of Abraham are buried in that place as in Genesis 49:31. Also, Acts 7:15-16 implies that the Abraham also bought a field next to it owned by sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. Holy Spirit knows everything and Stephen who was inspired by Holy Spirit said that the Jacob is buried in the place Schekem.