Acts 7:16 tells us that Jacob and the other patriarchs who died in Egypt were carried back to Shechem and buried in a tomb Abraham had purchased from the sons of Hamor. The verse is part of a long speech given by Stephen, a follower of Jesus, to the Jewish council in Jerusalem shortly before he was stoned. Stephen is reviewing Israel’s history from Abraham onward to show his listeners how their ancestors repeatedly moved toward God’s promises.
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.
Acts 7:16 (WEB)
What Acts 7:16 Means
The verse begins with “they were brought back to Shechem,” which means the bodies of Jacob and his sons were carried from Egypt to the land of Canaan. Jacob died in Egypt, where his family had settled under Joseph’s protection, yet he was not buried there. Stephen’s point is that the family’s true resting place was in the promised land, not in the country where they had lived as strangers.
The phrase “the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver” refers to a piece of ground Abraham acquired as a burial site. That purchase was an early and concrete sign that the land belonged to his descendants by promise. The verse does not say how the transfer was carried out or what happened to the graves afterward, and it should not be stretched to make claims beyond what Stephen states.
The Context of Acts 7:16
The book of Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel bearing his name, and it was addressed to a Christian reader named Theophilus. Its early chapters describe the spread of the message about Jesus from Jerusalem outward. Stephen’s speech in chapter 7 is the longest recorded address in Acts, and it is delivered to Jewish leaders who had just accused him of speaking against the temple and the law.
Verses 13 through 19 recount how Joseph was revealed to his brothers, how Jacob’s family moved to Egypt, and how the growing people of Israel were later oppressed under a new king. Read in that sequence, the note about the burial in verse 16 reminds the hearers that their ancestors’ story repeatedly pointed beyond Egypt to the land God had promised. Stephen is building toward the argument that the people have resisted God’s messengers throughout their history.
Key Phrases in Acts 7:16
Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan.
(WEB)
This verse records Abraham burying Sarah in the cave of Machpelah, the same field he purchased as a burial site. It gives the original account behind the tomb Stephen mentions, and it shows how that piece of land first entered the family’s possession.
Genesis 50:13
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, as a possession for a burial site, from Ephron the Hittite, near Mamre.
(WEB)
This verse describes Joseph’s brothers carrying Jacob’s body to the cave of Machpelah for burial. It supplies the narrative of Jacob’s final journey to the land, which Stephen summarizes in Acts 7:16.
A Short Prayer From Acts 7:16
Lord, thank You for remembering Your promises across many generations, from Abraham’s first purchase of land to the faithful burial of his descendants. Help me to trust that You are working faithfully even when my own journey feels unsettled or far from home. Give me wisdom to honor those who have gone before me and steadiness to keep my eyes on the hope You have given. Shape my decisions so they reflect confidence in Your character and faithfulness. Amen.
