Machpelah

American

[mak-pee-lah] / mækˈpi lɑ /

noun

the site of a cave, probably in the ancient city of Hebron, said in the Bible to be the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, Rebekah, Isaac, Jacob, and Leah.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Four busts of Houdini atop the central pedestal of his family plot in the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens were smashed or stolen between 1975 and 1993.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2011

A bust has been restored at Harry Houdini’s grave site in the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2011

Meinertzhagen, moreover, is the only living European . . . who has entered the hallowed and mysterious cave of Machpelah* in the tomb of the patriarchs at Hebron.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Cave -- the title refers to the cave of Machpelah where Abraham and his family are supposedly buried -- is Come Out come out.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now, I believe that in purchasing Machpelah for a burying-place, Abraham gave expression to his faith in resurrection.

From Notes on the Book of Genesis by Mackintosh, Charles Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023