מַכְפֵּלָה (makh.pe.lah)

The proper noun makhpeleh refers to a specific plot of land near Hebron that served as the first family burial site in the Promised Land. The name itself translates to "double" or "doubled," likely describing the physical structure of the cave or perhaps indicating a double portion of inheritance, which held significant theological weight for the patriarchs.

This location is central to Genesis, appearing six times as Abraham purchases the field and cave from Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23). It becomes the resting place for four of the twelve patriarchs: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and later Jacob and Leah. The purchase establishes a tangible claim to the land, moving from promise to possession.

Translators consistently render this as "Machpelah" rather than translating the meaning, preserving its identity as a sacred geographic marker. Its significance lies not just in the name’s etymology, but in its function as a anchor point for Israel’s ancestral history, marking where the fathers and mothers awaited the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises.