Abel Mizraim
“Mourning of Egypt or meadow of Egypt”
Summary
The name given to the threshing floor of Atad where Joseph and the Egyptians mourned for Jacob before his burial in Canaan.
☩The Mourning for Jacob
When Joseph brought his father Jacob's embalmed body from Egypt for burial in Canaan, the funeral procession stopped at the threshing floor of Atad, beyond the Jordan. There the Egyptians held a solemn seven-day mourning ceremony. The Canaanite inhabitants of the land, seeing this great mourning of the Egyptians, gave the place the name Abel Mizraim. The funeral celebration included banquets and games according to Egyptian custom, after which Jacob's sons proceeded alone to the cave of Machpelah for burial.
☩Name and Location
The name involves a wordplay: the Hebrew word 'ebel means 'mourning,' while 'abel means 'meadow,' so Abel Mizraim can mean either 'mourning of Egypt' or 'meadow of Egypt.' Jerome places it between Jericho and the Jordan, corresponding to the later site of Beth-hoglah. The circuitous route the funeral took—going around rather than directly to Hebron—remains a subject of scholarly discussion.
Related Verses1 mention
Genesis· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Abel-mizraim," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Abel-Mizraim," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Abelmizraim," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Abel-Mizraim," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).