Augustine of Hippo : ON THE TOMB OF JACOB. — We can ask how it is true what Joseph commanded the Egyptian dignitaries to tell Pharaoh of his part: "My father took an oath to me, saying, In the sepulcher that I dug in the land of Canaan, you will bury me there ; because these words of the father of Joseph do not appear when he gave orders about his grave. However, we must refer to the content, as we have noted above when dealing with similar expressions or narrations. Words must serve to express one's intention and to make it known. That Jacob excavated a tomb for himself, we find him not affirmed before in any passage of Scripture. But if he had not done so, as he was in those lands, the Scripture would not now say so. [ — QUESTIONS ON GENESIS, Q. 169 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)