Slept with their Fathers

Q: One of our people noticed that some of the kings in the OT who died peacefully were said to have `slept with their fathers.` Other kings who died violently apparently do not have the same privilege. Do you know of any studies on this question?

A: I am not aware of any studies on this exact question. That doesn't mean there are not any available. However, I think the answer to your question lies in your question. It doesn't seem consistent to say someone "slept with their fathers" after a violent death. For example, my mother passed away a few years ago. When talking about her death it is normal to say "she went home to be with the Lord." I say that because she didn't die violently. Yet, if she had I can't say I would use that terminology. Most often when someone dies in a violent manner, or unexpectedly, it is common just to say they died or that they were "taken too soon." What I am trying to say is that the term "slept with their fathers" seems to be nothing more than a term of endearment used for a person who died of natural causes and lived as long as it was believed they were meant to live.

Biblically speaking, there seems to be a precedent for what I am trying to say. In Genesis 15:15, God tells Abram, "You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age." Do you notice how going to with your fathers and dying at an old age, living a long life, go hand in hand? Abraham (Abram) lived 175 years before he died. I would consider that to be a "good old age." Granted nobody lives that long these days. With a few exceptions, most people don't live over 100 years of age, if that long. A similar term, used by the Bible, to describe someone living a long life is "full of years." Isaac, Abraham's son, lived to the age of 180. When describing his death we read, "he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years (Genesis 35:29)." I believe it is safe to say that these terms are synonymous with with living a long life.

I also noticed that many of the those mentioned to have "slept with their fathers" are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. "Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah ...(Matthew 1:6-10)." In the King James Version of the Bible, which your phrase comes from, the 36 references of the phrase begin with King David and end with King Manasseh. Matthew 1:6-10 contains all the names of the kings who are described as having "slept with their fathers" when they died. Perhaps this is another use for the term that shows God's pleasure with their place in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Usually, the simplest answer is the best answer. Therefore, I would assume that the term "slept with their fathers" is simply in reference to kings who had lived long lives prior to their deaths. Other translations use "rest with my fathers," "lie with my fathers" and "bury me with my ancestors." All of them describe terminology respectful of those being said to have passed away following long lives. Today, we say things like "off to their eternal reward" or that a person is "in a better place" when those that passed are remembered fondly. So, I wouldn't make too much of the phrase "slept with their fathers." It is just biblical terminology used for those loved ones who have passed on after a long life.