What Does the Bible Say About Visiting Graves?
The Bible speaks often about graves and burial customs, yet it does not directly command or forbid the practice of visiting graves. This leaves Christians with room for discernment, guided by biblical principles and the hope of the gospel.
While Scripture records how God’s people buried their dead, marked their graves, and mourned their loss, its primary focus is not on the physical location of the body but on the spiritual reality of life, death, and resurrection. The Bible’s emphasis is on honoring the dead appropriately while keeping our hope firmly fixed on the resurrection promised in Jesus Christ.
In this article, we will explore:
How the Bible describes graves and burial customs.
The Old Testament laws and symbolic meaning of graves.
New Testament perspectives, including Jesus’ own burial.
The benefits and risks of visiting graves.
The gospel-centered hope that shapes how Christians remember the dead.
1. Graves and Burial Practices in the Bible
In biblical times, graves were significant markers of a person’s life and death. Old Testament accounts frequently describe burial locations, from Abraham’s purchase of the cave of Machpelah for Sarah (Genesis 23) to the burial of Jacob and Joseph in the promised land. Most burials took place outside the city walls, in caves, rock-hewn tombs, or in the ground.
Burial sites often served as family memorials. For example, the patriarchs’ graves were a reminder of God’s covenant promises and a testimony to the hope of God’s future fulfillment. Yet, the Bible does not indicate that families routinely visited these graves for ongoing acts of devotion. The emphasis remained on faith in God’s promises rather than attachment to the burial site.
2. Old Testament Laws and Symbolism of Graves
The Old Testament law associated graves with ritual impurity. Numbers 19:16 teaches that touching a grave rendered a person ceremonially unclean for seven days. This law reinforced the separation between life and death in Israel’s covenant life, reminding the people of sin’s consequences and the need for purification.
Graves also served as symbols of humility and equality—death comes to kings and commoners alike (Ecclesiastes 3:20). At the same time, some rulers misused burial monuments as displays of pride, building elaborate tombs to honor themselves rather than God (Isaiah 22:16).
The Old Testament’s caution toward physical contact with graves does not mean that all remembrance is wrong. Instead, it directs Israel to think more about God’s covenant faithfulness than about the earthly remains of the dead.
3. New Testament Perspectives on Graves
In the New Testament, graves are central to the most important event in history—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus was laid in a new rock-hewn tomb, sealed with a large stone (Matthew 27:59–60). On the third day, the empty grave became a sign of victory over death (Luke 24:1–6).
The gospels record that women went to visit Jesus’ tomb early on the morning after the Sabbath. Their purpose was to honor Him with spices and complete the burial rites, not to maintain an ongoing practice of grave visitation. Instead, the risen Christ redirected their attention away from the grave toward the mission of proclaiming His resurrection.
The New Testament never discourages visiting graves, but it shifts the focus toward remembering the dead in the light of the resurrection. For believers, graves are temporary resting places until the day when the dead in Christ are raised (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
4. The Benefits and Risks of Visiting Graves
While the Bible does not require visiting graves, it recognizes the value of honoring the memory of loved ones. Visiting a grave can provide:
A place for reflection – remembering the person’s life and the impact they had.
An opportunity for gratitude – thanking God for their life and testimony.
A moment to express grief – acknowledging loss before God in prayer.
However, the Bible also warns against unhealthy practices tied to the dead. Seeking spiritual contact with the dead or using graves for occult rituals is strictly forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). The focus of our remembrance must remain on God, not on attempting to reach or communicate with those who have passed away.
Some church traditions caution that spiritual connection with the faithful departed is better expressed in worship, prayer, and participation in the Lord’s Supper, where we proclaim Christ’s death until He comes. This shifts the believer’s attention from the place of burial to the presence of Christ, who is the source of eternal life.
5. The Gospel-Centered Hope in Remembering the Dead
Ultimately, the Bible teaches that our hope is not tied to graves but to the resurrection promised in Christ. Visiting a grave may stir feelings of loss, but it should also point the believer toward the future reality when “death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4).
Christ’s resurrection transforms how we think about burial places. For the Christian, a grave is not the end of the story—it is a holding place until the day of Christ’s return. This perspective changes the tone of any visit to a cemetery from one of despair to one of hope.
When we visit graves in light of the gospel, we remember that our loved ones who trusted in Christ are “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), awaiting the day when their bodies will be raised in glory.
Conclusion: A Biblical Perspective on Visiting Graves
The Bible gives freedom for Christians to decide whether or not to engage in the practice of visiting graves. It neither commands nor forbids it but provides principles for doing so in a way that honors God. Such visits should avoid superstition or attempts to contact the dead and instead serve as moments to give thanks to God, remember His promises, and anticipate the resurrection.
In the end, the Christian’s comfort is not found in the place of burial but in the risen Christ, who will one day call all who belong to Him out of their graves into everlasting life.
Bible Verses About Visiting Graves
Genesis 23:19 – “After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.”
Numbers 19:16 – “Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.”
Ecclesiastes 3:20 – “All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”
Isaiah 22:16 – “What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock?”
Matthew 27:59–60 – “And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”
Luke 24:1–6 – “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’”
John 11:38–44 – “Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”
1 Thessalonians 4:16 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”
2 Corinthians 5:8 – “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
