What Does The Old Testament Say About Cremation

Introduction

The Old Testament doesn’t include explicit instructions for how to treat the dead, but it does have a lot of information about specific burial practices. For example, the story of Jacob’s death and burial is detailed in Genesis 49. It’s clear that he was buried in a cave or tomb after his death, but there aren’t any specifics given regarding what happened to the body before burial—so we can’t say for sure whether he was embalmed or cremated. The only thing we know for certain is that Jacob requested to be buried in Canaan, so his sons carried out his wishes. We also know that bodies were buried soon after death and sometimes wrapped in linen cloths (Matthew 27:59). Though there are no mentions of cremation specifically, it’s possible that some altars involve burning bodies either as part of a burial ritual or as an act of respect before burying them elsewhere. The most important thing seems to be ensuring that bodies were properly laid to rest because God created us from dust and will return us back into dust at our deaths (Genesis 3:19).

In the Old Testament, cremation is only mentioned once.

In the Old Testament, cremation is only mentioned once:

In Amos 2:1, God states that he will judge the nations. Verse 1 begins with “Thus said Jehovah” and describes how God will bring down the nations of Edom and Moab. Verse 3 says his wrath will devour them like burning fire. The word used for “burn” in these verses is shahath (שָׁהָת), which means consuming fire or corruption. This word can also refer to a grave—when someone dies and their body decays in their grave—or it can mean “ashes.”

The word translated there to “burn” is “shachath” or “shachath”, which has several meanings including consuming fire, the grave and corruption.

The word translated there to “burn” is “shachath” or “shachath”, which has several meanings including consuming fire, the grave and corruption. In this context, it is talking about burning.

We see from the context that it is talking about burning.

We do know that cremation was practiced in many cultures around the area during this time period.

We do know that cremation was practiced in many cultures around the area during this time period.

In fact, cremation is a common practice in many cultures today and it’s not prohibited in the Bible.

There is no indication that God condemns the practice.

There is no indication that God condemns the practice. In fact, there are several instances of cremation in the Old Testament. For example, when Jacob was told to take his son Joseph’s body back with him after Joseph died in Egypt (Genesis 50:2), it seems likely that he would have burned his body had he been able to do so.

Also, there is no mention of any Jewish people being punished for cremating their loved ones during this time period. This could indicate that they did not think it was wrong or because they didn’t want anyone else finding out what they were doing as part of their practice of hiding from other people who might not approve of cremation.

However, we cannot say definitively one way or another whether God approves or disapproves of cremation because there is no explicit commandment given either way on this issue by Him through His prophets–and He has not given us any direct guidance on how we should handle our dead bodies once they pass away from this life here on earth today either (that knowledge will come later).

The only problem with it seems to have been that it was employed by ungodly people.

To answer the question, we need to first look at what the Bible says about cremation. The only problem with it seems to have been that it was employed by ungodly people. For example, cremation is condemned in Deuteronomy 21:23-29:

“If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree; but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance. For everyone who is hanged on a tree is cursed of God.”

Cremation was also used by pagans and other heathen nations as part of their idolatrous practices. In Acts 19:19-20 we read: “But when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to speak or teach because they had been taught through Moses that no one should talk with God unless spoken to.” This shows how powerful this verse is because we are talking about talking or teaching from Scripture in particular!

There appears to be no prohibition regarding cremation in the Bible

Does the Bible teach against cremation? Not that I can find. In fact, there appears to be no prohibition regarding cremation in the Bible.

What does the Bible say about death and how we should handle our bodies after death? Let’s look at some of these questions:

• The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over life and death (Job 38:4-7). He has ordained that all human beings will die someday, whether it’s by disease or injury or old age (Heb 9:27). Since we don’t know when we’ll die, it’s wise to live each day as if we could depart from this life at any moment.
• At some point after death, all people will experience a resurrection of their physical bodies (1 Cor 15:42-44; 1 Thess 4:13-17). This resurrection will occur before Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth (Rev 16:15). No one knows when this event will take place; but since it hasn’t happened yet and has been promised by God Himself in both Testaments of Scripture, then it must happen someday!

Conclusion

The Old Testament is not as clear cut on cremation as the New Testament. However, there is a lot of evidence that it was a common practice during the time of Moses and even before. Most scholars believe that this change was due to changes in Jewish laws regarding burial, which forbid any contact with dead bodies except by those who had been designated to perform the burial rituals (e.g., priests).