A. Verb qabar (rb’q; , 6912), “to bury, to bury”. This verb is found in most Semitic languages, including Ugaritic, Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Phoenician, as well as post-biblical Aramaic. In Biblical Hebrew there are about 130 instances of the word in all periods. This root is used almost exclusively in relation to human beings. (The only exception is Jer 22:19; see below). In general, this verb represents the act of placing a corpse in a grave or tomb. This is the meaning when we first encounter qabar: “And you shall come to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age” (Gen 15:15). A decent burial was a sign of special kindness and divine blessing. As such, it was the obligation of responsible survivors. Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah to bury his dead. David thanked the men of Jabez Gilead for their daring way of rescuing the bodies of Saul and Jonathan (1Sa 31:11-13), and for providing them with a dignified “burial”. He said to them: “Blessed are you of Jehovah, who have shown mercy to your master, to Saul, by burying him” (2Sa 2: 5). Later, David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan and buried them in the family tomb (2Sa 21:14); here the verb means both “to bury” and “to bury again.” A dignified burial was not a simple consideration, but a necessity. In order for the earth to remain pure before God, the bodies had to be buried before nightfall: “His body shall not hang from the tree all night, but you shall certainly bury it the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), to that you do not pollute the land that the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance” (Deu 21:23 lba). In other words, if the body was not buried, God’s blessing was taken away. Not being buried was a sign of divine disapproval on the survivors and the nation. Ahijah the prophet said to Jeroboam: “All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for this is the only one of Jeroboam’s who will be buried, because of the house of Jeroboam only in him has anything good been found before the Lord God of Israel” (1Ki 14:13 rva); and the rest of the family would be eaten by dogs and birds of prey (v. 11; cf. Jer 8:2). Jeremiah prophesied that Jehoiakim “shall be buried with a burial donkey, dragged and cast beyond the gates of Jerusalem” (Jer 22:19 rva). In general, bodies were “buried” in caves (Gen 25:9) and tombs, graves, or tombs (Gen 50:5; Jdg 8:32). In some cases, qabar is used elliptically to refer to the entire death process. In Job 27:15 (lba) we read: “His survivors will be buried because of the plague and his widows will not be able to cry.” B. Qeber name (rb,q, , 6913), “grave; tomb”. Qeber appears 67 times and, the first time it appears (Gen 23:4), the term refers to a tomb or grave. In Jer 5:16, the word has the meaning of “grave” and, in Psa 88:11, qeber refers to “grave” in the sense of hell. In Jdg 8:32, the word means a “family grave”; Jer 26:23 uses the term indicating “burial place” and more specifically, an open grave.
Source: Vine Old Testament Dictionary