Genesis 23
23
Death and Burial of Sarah
1Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; this was the length of the life of Sarah. 2Sarah died in Kiriath-arba #This comment indicates that the text was written at a very early date, before Israel entered the promised land, because afterward Hebron was well known. Not only was it conspicuous in Joshua’s and Caleb’s day, but it became a “city of refuge.” Besides all this, David was king in Hebron for seven years.(that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3Then Abraham stood up before his dead [wife’s body], and spoke to the #The Hittites, along with the Egyptians and the Assyrians, were among the great powers in the ancient Middle East. They were famous for their fine horses, many of which were acquired by Solomon through trade. They also discovered and held secret the process of smelting iron when iron was treasured almost as much as gold. These Hittites were of Indo-European origin. The relationship, if any, between these Anatolian Hittites and the descendants of Canaan’s son, Heth, is unclear.sons of Heth (Hittites), saying, 4“I am a stranger and a sojourner (resident alien) among you; give (sell) me property for a burial place among you so that I may bury my dead [in the proper manner].” 5The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6“Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God [a mighty prince] among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave or hinder you from burying your dead [wife].” 7So Abraham stood up and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites. 8And Abraham said to them, “If you are willing to grant my dead a [proper] burial, listen to me, and plead with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9so that he may give (sell) me the cave of Machpelah which he owns—it is at the end of his field; let him give it to me here in your presence for the full price as a burial site [which I may keep forever among you].” 10Now Ephron was present there among the sons of Heth; so within the hearing of all the sons of Heth and all who were entering the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, saying, 11“No, my lord, hear me; I #This was not an offer to give the land to Abraham as a gift, but part of the negotiating process of the time.give you the [entire] field, and I also give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the men of my people I give (sell) it to you; bury your dead [there].” 12Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13He said to Ephron in the presence of the people of the land, “If you will only please listen to me and accept my offer. I will give you the price of the field; accept it from me and I will bury my dead there.” 14Ephron replied to Abraham, 15“My lord, listen to me. The land [you seek] is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” 16So Abraham listened to Ephron [and agreed to his terms]; and he weighed out for Ephron the [amount of] silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre (Hebron)—the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and in all its borders around it—were deeded over [legally] 18to Abraham as his possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who were entering at the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of #Here were buried Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah (Gen 49:31; 50:13).Machpelah to the east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20The field and the cave in it were deeded over to Abraham by the Hittites as a [permanent] possession and burial place.
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Genesis 23
23
CHAPTER 23
1Forsooth Sarah lived an hundred and seven and twenty years,
2and died in the city of Arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to bewail and beweep her.
3And when he had risen from the office of the dead body, he spake to the sons of Heth, and said,
4I am a comeling and a pilgrim with you; give ye to me right of [a] sepulchre with you, that I bury my dead body.
5And the sons of Heth answered, and said,
6Lord, hear thou us; thou art the prince of God with us; bury thou thy dead body in our chosen sepulchres, and no man shall be able to forbid thee, that not thou bury thy dead body in the sepulchre of him.
7And Abraham [a] rose, and worship-ped or honoured the people of the land, that is, the sons of Heth.
8And he said to them, If it pleaseth your soul that I bury my dead body, hear ye me, and pray ye for me to Ephron, the son of Zohar,
9that he give to me the double cave, which he hath in the uttermost part of his field; for sufficient money give he it to me before you into possession of [a] sepulchre.
10Forsooth Ephron dwelled in the midst of the sons of Heth. And Ephron answered to Abraham, while all men heard that entered by the gate of that city, and said,
11My lord, it shall not be done so, but more hearken thou to that that I say; I give to thee the field, and the cave which is therein, while the sons of my people be present; bury thou thy dead body.
12Abraham worshipped before the Lord, and before the people of the land,
13and he spake to Ephron, while his people stood about, I beseech, that thou hear me; I shall give money for the field, receive thou it, and so I shall bury my dead body in the field.
14And Ephron answered,
15My lord, hear thou me; the land which thou askest for is worth four hundred shekels of silver, that is the price betwixt me and thee; but how much is this? bury thou thy dead body.
16And when Abraham had heard this, he numbered out the money which Ephron asked for, while the sons of Heth heard, four hundred shekels of silver, and of proved common money.
17And the field that was sometime of Ephron, in which field was a double den, beholding to Mamre, as well that field, as the den, and all the trees thereof, in all the terms thereof by compass,
18was confirmed to Abraham into possession, while the sons of Heth saw, and all men that entered by the gate of that city.
19And so Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the double den of the field, that beheld to Mamre; this is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20And the field, and the den that was therein, was confirmed of the sons of Heth to Abraham, into possession of a sepulchre.
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