Acts 7:16 - and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.
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What does "Acts 7:16" mean?
Acts 7:16 is part of Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin, recounting the history of Israel. This specific verse refers to the burial of the patriarchs (specifically Jacob's sons) in Shechem. Here's a breakdown of what it means:
"and they were brought back to Shechem": This refers to the bodies of Jacob's sons (patriarchs of the tribes of Israel) being transported to Shechem for burial. Jacob's sons like Joseph died in Egypt. They were buried in Egypt and later reburied in Shechem.
"and laid in the tomb": They were placed in a tomb, a burial site.
"that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem": This is where the verse gets a bit complicated and has been a source of scholarly discussion.
It states that Abraham bought the tomb from the "children of Hamor of Shechem." Hamor was a Hivite prince of Shechem. In Genesis 33:19, Jacob, not Abraham, is recorded as buying a parcel of land in Shechem from the sons of Hamor. Genesis 23 records Abraham buying a burial plot in Hebron.
The problem: The verse conflates two separate events:
1. Abraham purchasing a burial plot (Machpelah Cave) in Hebron.
2. Jacob purchasing land in Shechem.
Possible explanations for the discrepancy:
Stephen's speech might be a condensed and stylized summary of history: Stephen is giving a rapid-fire overview. Details are likely omitted and consolidated for rhetorical effect. He might be associating the general idea of a patriarchal purchase with Abraham's more famous land acquisition.
A textual variant or scribal error: It's possible that the original text had a different wording or that a copyist made a mistake over time.
A lost tradition: Some scholars suggest there may have been traditions about Abraham buying land in Shechem that didn't make it into the canonical Old Testament.
Stephen's theological point: The point Stephen is making is that these great patriarchs had a connection to the land of Israel. The specific details of who bought what from whom might be less important than the overall narrative of Israel's historical roots in the land.
In essence, the verse means that the bodies of the patriarchs were brought to Shechem and buried in a tomb, and the verse claims that it was land purchased by Abraham, even though the Old Testament only records Jacob buying land there. The discrepancy between the verse and the Old Testament account is a well-known issue, and the explanations above are some of the ways scholars have tried to reconcile the difference.
Acts 7:16 - and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.
What does "Acts 7:16" mean?
Acts 7:16 is part of Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin, recounting the history of Israel. This specific verse refers to the burial of the patriarchs (specifically Jacob's sons) in Shechem. Here's a breakdown of what it means:
"and they were brought back to Shechem": This refers to the bodies of Jacob's sons (patriarchs of the tribes of Israel) being transported to Shechem for burial. Jacob's sons like Joseph died in Egypt. They were buried in Egypt and later reburied in Shechem.
"and laid in the tomb": They were placed in a tomb, a burial site.
"that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem": This is where the verse gets a bit complicated and has been a source of scholarly discussion.
It states that Abraham bought the tomb from the "children of Hamor of Shechem." Hamor was a Hivite prince of Shechem. In Genesis 33:19, Jacob, not Abraham, is recorded as buying a parcel of land in Shechem from the sons of Hamor. Genesis 23 records Abraham buying a burial plot in Hebron.
The problem: The verse conflates two separate events:
1. Abraham purchasing a burial plot (Machpelah Cave) in Hebron.
2. Jacob purchasing land in Shechem.
Possible explanations for the discrepancy:
Stephen's speech might be a condensed and stylized summary of history: Stephen is giving a rapid-fire overview. Details are likely omitted and consolidated for rhetorical effect. He might be associating the general idea of a patriarchal purchase with Abraham's more famous land acquisition.
A textual variant or scribal error: It's possible that the original text had a different wording or that a copyist made a mistake over time.
A lost tradition: Some scholars suggest there may have been traditions about Abraham buying land in Shechem that didn't make it into the canonical Old Testament.
Stephen's theological point: The point Stephen is making is that these great patriarchs had a connection to the land of Israel. The specific details of who bought what from whom might be less important than the overall narrative of Israel's historical roots in the land.
In essence, the verse means that the bodies of the patriarchs were brought to Shechem and buried in a tomb, and the verse claims that it was land purchased by Abraham, even though the Old Testament only records Jacob buying land there. The discrepancy between the verse and the Old Testament account is a well-known issue, and the explanations above are some of the ways scholars have tried to reconcile the difference.