For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

His sons ... buried him in the cave ... of Machpelah - (see the note at Genesis 23:1-20.) The Egyptians could not join in that ceremony, as it was contrary to their usages. Since the mummified body of Jacob was encased in a coffin or sarcophagus, according to Egyptian usage, it is reasonable to believe that it lies undisturbed in the inaccessible recesses of Machpelah, where, doubtless, on the adoption of a more liberal policy by the rulers of Palestine, the discovery will reward the researches of Christian explorers by the interesting information its Egypto-Hebraic inscription must contain.

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