Genesis 23:17-18

"So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of the city."

"Which was before Mamre ..." This expression means "east of Mature." "Ancient man considered the east to be in front of him."[20] The place of Machpelah is still visible today toward Hebron, where a great mosque has been constructed over the cave where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their respective wives, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah lie entombed. Archeological confirmation of the authenticity of the site, however, is impossible, since all entrances to the actual cave have long been sealed, and no Christian has been allowed in the cave itself for the better half of a millennium. There is little doubt, however, that the grave sites, if not the actual remains, are really there. Deane conjectured that, whether or not the bodies of Abraham, Isaac, and their wives have been preserved, there can be little doubt that, "The embalmed mummy of Jacob may exist in a state of preservation as perfect as that of any Pharaoh of Egypt."[21] Notably, Isaac, although one of the great types of Jesus, was not a type in the manner of his burial; that honor pertained to Jacob. Just as Joseph begged for the body of the first "Israel" from Pharaoh; another Joseph begged for the body of the Second Israel (Jesus Christ) from Pilate; and both were buried "mummy style," as John 19:40 affirms. Neither Jacob nor Jesus was buried in a "shroud."