Does the Bible give guidelines on burying the dead? Is cremation okay?

There doesn’t appear to be any Bible mandate on how to bury the dead. Most examples in the Bible speak of people who died as being buried or placed into caves or tombs. We do have a couple of examples in Scripture of people who were cremated and who will be in God’s kingdom.

When Jonathan, the son of King Saul, was killed in battle, his body was mutilated and hung on the wall of the enemy. His body was later recovered by soldiers and was cremated since it had been desecrated by the Philistines. David blessed them for caring for Jonathan’s body in this way.

The Bible speaks of us returning as ”ashes” or dust to the ground. Though it’s not a pleasant subject, we know that when a person dies, the body decomposes and turns back into the elements. It can happen slowly, or it can take place quickly, such as in a crematorium. The bottom line is, unless Jesus comes, we will all die and eventually turn into ashes and dirt.

Some worry that if they are cremated or buried at sea, it will make it difficult for the Lord to resurrect them. But God is not using “old material” to recreate us. “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). The Lord will take the essence of who we are and place it in a new, glorified body.

Let’s now turn our attention to the glorious promise of the resurrection. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52). I look forward to that day! Don’t you?

Key Bible Texts

And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. (1 Samuel 31:11-12 KJV)