Where was Rachel buried?

Where was Rachel buried, near Bethlehem of Judaea, or Bethlehem of Galilee?

[BigJohn]

Scriptures sat in 1 Samuel 10:2 "When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb [sepulcher], at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin." NIV As for the location of Zelzah, when the name was translated into Koine Greek, it appears Zelzah was not on the "map" which makes it difficult if not impossible to locate.

I would speculate she was buried near Bethlehem [of Galilee] based upon the following scriptures.

Genesis 35:16(a) reads: "Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath." and Genesis 35:19 reads: "So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."

Originally Posted by BigJohn

I would speculate she was buried near Bethlehem [of Galilee] based upon the following scriptures.

And IMO you are correct.

Dr. Aviram Oshrim, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, supports the claim of the northern Bethlehem. He has been studying the matter since the 1990s, and has said he is “positive” of the true Bethlehem being near Nazareth.

Isaiah 9: 1-7; This prophecy by Isaiah would appear to support that belief: “The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honour to this region, from the Mediterranean eastwards to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them. You have given them great joy, LORD; you have made them happy. They rejoice in what you have done, as people rejoice when they harvest their corn or when they divide captured wealth.

For you have broken the yoke that burdened them and the rod that beat their shoulders. You have defeated the nation that oppressed and exploited your people, just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago. The boots of the invading army and all their bloodstained clothing will be destroyed by fire. A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler.

He will be called, “Wonderful Counsellor”, “Mighty God”, “Eternal Father”, “Prince of Peace”. His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace. He will rule as King David's successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time. The LORD Almighty is determined to do all this.

Rachel died some 2,000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, and Rachel was buried on the road to Bethlehem of Zebulun.

The Northern town of Bethlehem is in the ancient land of Zebulun. Historians and scholars have previously suggested that Jesus was not born in Bethlehem in the West Bank, but another Bethlehem close to the borders of Lebanon and Syria. Jesus is referred to throughout the Bible as from Galilee, and as Jesus of Nazareth, so for some it makes sense he was born in this other Bethlehem.

This I refuse to accept, as Jesus was born on the town of king David.

The origins of the Judean Bethlehem are uncertain, but archaeological records indicate that it may have existed as far back as the fourteenth century B.C.E. The Israelites, who entered Egypt in the seventeenth century B.C., invaded the land of Canaan, late in the fifteenth century B.C., forty years after the Exodus, which occurred around 1567 B.C., this would seem to indicate that the southern town of Bethlehem of Judea, of which archaeological records indicate that it only existed as far back as the fourteenth century B.C.E. may not have existed in the early days of the Israelite conquest, in fact the first mention of the Bethlehem of Judah, is near on 400 years after Israel had invaded Canaan, the land of their rightful inheritance, when Samuel was sent there to Anoint the Young David who was to succeed Saul as King, whereas the Bethlehem of Zebulun, which was visited by the 102 years old Jacob in the seventeenth century, and was where the body of Rachel was buried, is known to have existed long before Jacob’s visit some 245 years before the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt sometime around 1567-1545 B.C.

It was suggested I shorten my posts in order to encourage others to respond, I will close at this point.

PBU you John.

[sky]

Originally Posted by The Anointed

He will be called, “Wonderful Counsellor”, “Mighty God”, “Eternal Father”, “Prince of Peace”.

This is what I was referring to previously....... ' Eternal ' - Uncreated.

Originally Posted by sky123

This is what I was referring to previously....... ' Eternal ' - Uncreated.

That is what he is called by the religious authorities, not that which he was.

He was also called 'Emanuel' which means "God is with Us' and God, who had filled the man Jesus with his spirit, was with us.

[sky]

Originally Posted by The Anointed

That is what he is called by the religious authorities, not that which he was.

Well as we will ever know we each can be content to percieve these words to our own individual understanding

And now let us return to the topic of this thread; "Where was Rachel buried"?

[sky]

Originally Posted by The Anointed

And now let us return to the topic of this thread; "Where was Rachel buried"?

No idea A, it's not something I have thought about nor intend to
I am interested in Archaeology though so if you find out let me know please....

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by The Anointed

And now let us return to the topic of this thread; "Where was Rachel buried"?

Apparently, Rachel's sepulcher or whatever it was, was visible for some time. It would be interesting to me as to what it looked like and what became of it. Was it torn down down during the wars between the Kingdom of Judea and the Northern Kingdom of Israel? Did the Babylonians have a role in it or could it have been done by vandals?

[ThatMan]

Originally Posted by The Anointed

That is what he is called by the religious authorities, not that which he was.

He was also called 'Emanuel' which means "God is with Us' and God, who had filled the man Jesus with his spirit, was with us.

Off topic:

Isaiah 9:6

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace

That was no religious leader, it was Isaiah.... By the way, once when I was meditating in silence, I heard this word, Amiel and I found out that it is a hebrew word and it means "God of my people", I had no idea of this name, I had to google it. If you study a little bit about the spiritism movement, you will find out that many people come in communication with beings that have habrew names, for example, Chico Xavier talked with a being called Emmanuel .

On Topic: I have no idea, answer to such questions are needed more from an intellectual point of view than from a spiritual point of view, but I suspect you were already aware of the answer and just asked this question so that you can share your thoughts about it, hi hi hi