Our Lord was buried in a new tomb, hewn out of the rock, which Joseph
of Arimathea had prepared for himself (Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:46;
John 19:41, 42).
The grave of Lazarus was “a cave, and a stone lay on it” (John 11:38).
Graves were frequently either natural caverns or artificial excavations
formed in the sides of rocks (Genesis 23:9; Matthew 27:60); and coffins
were seldom used, unless when the body was brought from a distance.
- BURNT OFFERING Hebrew olah; i.e., “ascending,” the whole being
consumed by fire, and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed.
Part of every offering was burnt in the sacred fire, but this was wholly
burnt, a “whole burnt offering.” It was the most frequent form of sacrifice,
and apparently the only one mentioned in the book of Genesis. Such were
the sacrifices offered by Abel (Genesis 4:3, 4, here called minhah; i.e., “a
gift”), Noah (Genesis 8:20), Abraham (Genesis 22:2, 7, 8, 13), and by the
Hebrews in Egypt (Exodus 10:25).
The law of Moses afterwards prescribed the occasions and the manner in
which burnt sacrifices were to be offered. There were “the continual burnt
offering” (Exodus 29:38-42; Leviticus 6:9-13), “the burnt offering of every
sabbath,” which was double the daily one (Numbers 28:9, 10), “the burnt
offering of every month” (28:11-15), the offerings at the Passover (19-23),
at Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16), the feast of Trumpets (23:23-25), and on
the day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).
On other occasions special sacrifices were offered, as at the consecration of
Aaron (Exodus 29) and the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:5, 62-64).
Free-will burnt offerings were also permitted (Leviticus 1:13), and were
offered at the accession of Solomon to the throne (1 Chronicles 29:21), and
at the reformation brought about by Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29: 31-35).
These offerings signified the complete dedication of the offerers unto God.
This is referred to in Romans 12:1. (See ALTAR, SACRIFICE.)