Who bought the land where Joseph was buried: Abraham or Jacob?

Question

Since Acts 7:16 and Joshua 24:32 contradict eachother, does that make God a liar and the Bible a lie?

read them for yourself before answering

Answer 1

Joshua 24:32 states that Jacob bought this tomb, although Abraham had earlier built an altar at Shechem (Gen. 12:6,7), and probably purchased the land on which he built it. Abraham did not settle there, however, and the land apparently reverted to the people of Hamor. Jacob then repurchased it from Shechem (Gen. 33:18-20), much like Isaac repurchased the well at Beersheba (Gen. 26:28-31) that Abraham had originally bought (Gen. 21:27-30). It is clear that Joseph was buried at Shechem as he requested (Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32). The OT does not record when Joseph's brothers were buried, but Stephen reveals it was in Shechem.

Answer 2

Uhmmm.... Joseph died after Abraham and Jacob died.

Edit: Oh sorry, I misunderstood the question. Well interestingly they both may be right. In Gen 23:14 it says, "Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants" It adds, "So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site"

Now listen of Jacob's death:

"So Jacob's son's did as he had commanded them: They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field." Gen 50:12

So JACOB was buried in the land ABRAHAM bought, and JOSEPH was buried at Shechem which Jacob bought.

Its very clear Jacob bought the land at Shechem, so Stephen was a little mixed up to say Abraham bought it, but he was right - Joseph was buried at Shechem while Jacob was buried at the area Abraham bought. This doesn't make the entire Bible wrong though. I read a history book that said something wrong about the Queen of Spain, it gave the wrong name, but I did not say, "Ah since they got this name wrong the entire book is wrong". The rest of the book was fine, it was just that one slip up. God did not write the Bible. Luke wrote this one book of Acts, and Luke was not a Jew. You'd kind of expect him to mess up when recording ancient Jewish history. So either it was a mistake by Stephen or by Luke. But what will you say? "Since Stephen said Abraham bought the land, that must mean Jesus never existed and there is no God" Two things to notice, though, 1) If STEPHEN said Abraham bought the land, then Luke accurately recorded exactly what Stephen said, even if it was a mistake 2) If LUKE messed up, then you know no one edited the Bible, or else they would have fixed this small detail.

I wonder if you are so critical of other books as well?

Answer 3

"It might seem that there is a conflict, with Acts 7:16 saying Abraham bought a burial place in Shechem but Genesis 23:15-19 reporting that he purchased such a plot in Machpelah near Hebron. There are a number of possible explanations. Let us note some of the details.

Soon after Abraham entered the Promised Land (1943 B.C.E.) he resided for a time in Shechem, which was in the northern area where Samaria was later built. (Gen. 12:6-8) When Abraham’s wife Sarah later died (1881 B.C.E.), he purchased as a burial place the field and cave of Machpelah, which was near Hebron to the south of Jerusalem. “Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah in front of Mamre, that is to say, Hebron, in the land of Canaan.” (Gen. 23:15-19) In time Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah were also buried there.—Gen. 25:9; 49:29-32.

Abraham’s grandson Jacob also dwelt for a while near Shechem, and he there purchased a tract of land and built an altar. (Gen. 33:18-20) When he was near death in Egypt, Jacob commanded his sons that he be buried, not in Shechem, but with his fathers in the plot that Abraham had purchased near Hebron. (Gen. 49:29-32; 50:12, 13) As to a burial in Shechem, Joshua 24:32 says that after the Israelites entered the Promised Land they buried Joseph’s bones “in Shechem in the tract of the field that Jacob had acquired,” which came to be in the territory of Joseph’s son Manasseh.

With this history in mind, we can note Acts 7:15, 16. In his masterful defense the Christian disciple Stephen said: “Jacob went down into Egypt. And he deceased; and so did our forefathers, and they [the “forefathers”] were transferred to Shechem and were laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a price with silver money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.” So it might appear that Stephen was saying that Abraham, rather than Jacob, purchased land in Shechem. Yet Genesis 23:17, 18 tells us that Abraham bought a burial place in Machpelah near Hebron.

Certain scholars believe that in addition to the purchase of the plot of land in Hebron, Abraham could have also obtained the land in Shechem where Jehovah appeared to him and where he then built an altar. (Gen. 12:7) If so, then this may have been the same land that Genesis 33:18, 19 mentions Jacob as buying from those who controlled it at that time. This view would eliminate any seeming problem with Acts 7:16.

Another approach is that Stephen may simply have been condensing two accounts, combining Abraham’s transaction at Genesis 23:15-19 and the purchase by Jacob mentioned at Genesis 33:18, 19. Giving some weight to this possibility is the fact that at Acts 7:7 Stephen evidently combined into one statement something God said to Abraham and something He said to Moses. (Gen. 15:14; Ex. 3:12) Thus Acts 7:16 may just be a condensed or elliptical statement that was sufficient for Stephen’s purpose, as was Acts 7:7.

Another possible solution can be considered. Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather. So, even though Genesis 33:18, 19 says that Jacob purchased land at Shechem, Stephen could have ascribed the purchase to Abraham the patriarchal head. Giving credence to this are other instances in the Bible where the names of forefathers were applied to and used for the descendants.—Hos. 11:1, 3, 12; Matt. 2:15-18.

Each one of these possibilities may be the solution to the seeming conflict between Acts 7:16 and Genesis 23:15-19. The fact that a number of plausible explanations are available emphasizes how unreasonable it would be for anyone today who does not have all the facts to conclude that Stephen was in error."

Answer 4

Read Psalm 1:5 to 1:6

Answer 5

Joseph died before Abraham and Jacob.............

Did you read that yourself or did you just find it on an anti Christian website?

Answer 6

Stop trying to nit-pick Scripture......

It's the truth regardless of what you think. There are ZERO contradictions in Scripture.......There are ZERO mistakes in Scripture.

God wrote it....therefore it is His perfect Word

Answer 7

There is no contradiction there.You are blinded by satan so you do not understand the bible

Answer 8

Who knows-do you really care?