Joseph's Tomb, Shechem

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Introduction

 

​Welcome to Joseph's Tomb in Shechem. Many significant events from the Bible took place in this area. These are the highlights.

 

1. The book of Genesis says that before Joseph died, he made his brothers promise to carry his bones from Egypt to Canaan. He was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

 

2. Later, in Exodus, we are told that Moses kept this promise by taking Joseph’s bones when the Israelites left Egypt.

 

3. Finally, in the book of Joshua, it says that Joseph’s bones were buried in Shechem.

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4. This is the place it's believed they were buried.​

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Location

 

1. Joseph's Tomb is located in biblical Shechem, also known as Sychar in the New Testament and as Tel Balata and Nablus today.

 

2. Shechem is located about 30 miles (48 km) north of Jerusalem and about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Tel Aviv.

 

3. It was in the Samaria region of Israel in the territory of Ephraim during Bible times.

 

4. It was on a main north-south travel route that linked the northern and southern parts of Israel.

 

5. It was also on a main east-west route that linked the coastal plain of Israel with the Jordan Valley. 

 

6. Shechem lies between the two famous mountains of Gerizim and Ebal.

 

Historical Background

 

1. In the sixth century, during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527–565 AD), Joseph’s tomb was depicted on the Madaba Mosaic Map, indicating that the shrine existed before the Islamic era. This is also supported by a description of the tomb by the sixth-century AD Christian pilgrim and archdeacon Theodosius. Who mentions in his De situ Terrae Sanctae, “Close to Jacob’s Well are the remains of Joseph the Holy” (Golden 2004: 187).

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2. The late Dr. Zvi Ilan, one of Israel's foremost archeologists, described Joseph's Tomb as: "...one of the tombs whose location is known with the utmost degree of certainty and is based on continuous documentation since biblical times."

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3. At different times in history, Joseph’s Tomb has been the center of religious conflict. In the early Byzantine period, Samaritans and Christians fought violently over who controlled it.

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4. After Israel took the West Bank in 1967, Palestinians were no longer allowed to worship here, and the place slowly became a Jewish prayer site.

 

5. Disputes between Jews and Muslims over the tomb grew common. Even after the Oslo Accords placed it under the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), it stayed guarded by Israeli soldiers, and Muslims were not allowed to pray here.

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6. In 2000, at the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Palestinians rioted, destroyed, and burned the tomb right after it was handed to the PNA.

 

7. When Israel reoccupied Nablus (biblical Shechem) during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, Jewish worshippers began returning occasionally.

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8. Between 2009 and 2010, the tomb was repaired, a new dome was added, and Jewish visits resumed.

 

9. In 2011, Palestinian police killed an Israeli worshipper at the site. The tomb was vandalized again by Palestinian rioters in 2015 and 2022.

 

Places of Interest

 

1. Courtyard and Walls

• The building is in the Ottoman style and features a northern courtyard with a central water basin, as well as a domed inner room containing a stone memorial.

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• The courtyard measures approximately 18 feet (5.5 meters) in width. Its white, plastered walls are approximately 1 foot (0.3 m) thick, 10 feet (3 m) high, and well-preserved.

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• The entrance is located on the north side, through the remains of a small, square-domed building. On the south wall, there are two Hebrew inscriptions.

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2. Burial Chamber

• The current “burial chamber” is a small rectangular room with a stone memorial, built in 1868. It contains no ancient building materials. 

 

Joseph's Bones and Tomb In the Bible

 

1. Joseph made an oath with his sons that when he died, his bones would be carried out of Egypt to the Promised Land.

Genesis 50:24-26: Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will assuredly take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will assuredly take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110 years; and they embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

 

2. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him when he left Egypt in the Exodus.

Exodus 13:19: And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 

 

3. Joseph's bones were buried in Shechem.

Joshua 24:32: Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the plot of land which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons.

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4. The bones of Joseph, being buried here in Shechem, fulfill God's promises and covenants.

Hebrews 11:22: By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

 

Faith Lesson from Shechem

 

1. By faith, Joseph wanted to dwell in the Promised Land.

Joseph instructed the nation to take his bones with them when they departed from Egypt. He wanted to dwell in the Promised Land.

 

What about us? Do we have the faith to trust God that He will lead us to the Promised Land, which symbolizes His best for us, and ultimately, heaven?

 

2. It took a long time for the promise to be fulfilled.

From the time Joseph ordered that his bones were to be carried to the Promised Land to their fulfillment was about 400 years.

 

What about us? Are we learning to be patient in waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled in our own lives?

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3. This hope for burial in the Promised Land foreshadowed the hope of resurrection.

Joseph knew that God is Lord of the living and that the only way to dwell with God would be to dwell in His holy land. Thus, Joseph’s desire to be buried in Israel reflects hope that God would visit His people there and raise him from the dead. This hope is ours as well.

 

What about us? Is our hope firm that we will be given glorified bodies to live with God and one another in paradise for all eternity?