A kokh, plural kokhim, was a deep narrow recess cut into a tomb wall. Instead of occupying the main chamber floor, the body could be placed into the niche with the feet toward the chamber.
Kokhim allowed several burials to occupy a relatively compact family tomb.
Kokhim became a characteristic feature of many Jewish rock-cut tombs during the late Second Temple period, especially in Jerusalem and Judea.
For the family, a kokh was not an abstract architectural feature. It was the place where the body of a relative rested during the first stage of burial.
Large numbers of kokhim survive in excavated tombs around Jerusalem and at other sites. Their size, placement, blocking arrangements, and relationship to ossuaries can be studied directly.
Ancient literary sources rarely describe tomb architecture with archaeological precision. The physical evidence therefore provides most of our knowledge of kokhim.
The Bible does not describe kokhim as a distinct architectural form. They belong specifically to the developing burial architecture of the later Second Temple period.
The Gospels do not tell us whether Jesus or Lazarus was placed in a kokh, an arcosolium, or another resting place within a tomb. Modern reconstructions should therefore avoid claiming more than the texts reveal.
Kokhim were common features of many first-century Jewish tombs and were used for primary burial.
A Gospel reference to a rock-cut tomb does not by itself establish that the tomb contained kokhim, even though such niches were common.
Knowing what a kokh was helps visitors picture the interior of actual Jewish tombs without confusing archaeological evidence with details the Gospel writers never specify.