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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Genesis 23: WBMS
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Wycliffe’s Bible with Modern Spelling ©2017
Wycliffe’s Apocrypha ©2013, 2015
Wycliffe’s Bible © 2012, 2015
Wycliffe’s New Testament ©2001, 2011
Wycliffe’s Old Testament ©2001, 2010
Genesis 23
23
The Death of Sarah
1Sarah lived to be one hundred and twenty-seven. # 23:1 This reference to Sarah is the only time that Scripture mentions a woman’s age at death. 2She died in the land of Canaan at Kiriath Arba, # 23:2 Kiriath Arba means “the city of the four [giants].” See Josh. 14:15. Some Jewish scholars believe “the city of the four” refers to the four couples buried there: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. See also the first footnote on Gen. 23:9 on “Machpelah.” now known as Hebron. There Abraham mourned and wept for her. 3After his time of mourning was over, Abraham got up from where her body lay, and went to speak with the Hittites. He said to them, 4“I live as an alien and stranger among you. Sell me some of your property so I can use it as a burial site for my wife.”
5-6“Hear us, my lord,” the Hittites answered, “you are a mighty prince of God # 23:5–6 Or “king of God” (LXX). The Hebrew reads “a mighty chief among us,” with the generic term for “god” likely being used as the superlative for “mighty.” among us. You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us would withhold our burial ground from you.”
7Then Abraham bowed respectfully before the Hittites, the people of the land 8and he said to them, “If you are willing to allow my wife a proper burial, then please hear me out. On my behalf please persuade your countryman, Ephron the son of Zohar, 9to sell me the cave he owns at Machpelah # 23:9 Machpelah means “double” or “doubling.” Everyone buried in this cave would be as one of a couple: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah (see Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 49:29–32; 50:13). Death for the patriarchs was a gateway into the resurrection. This cave was more like a bedroom to rest in than a tomb, more an altar than a grave. It was an altar to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who is not a God of the dead but of the living (see Matt. 22:31–32). According to Jewish tradition, Adam and Eve were also buried in this cave. See Jerusalem Talmud, Ta’anit 4:2; Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 53a; Pirque Rabbi Eliezer, ch. 20; Midrash Rabba (Gen. Rab.), 28:3. According to the Midrash, the patriarchs were buried in this cave because this cave is the threshold to the garden of Eden. Some New Testament scholars believe that it could have been the patriarchs who were raised from the dead at the resurrection of Christ and were seen in Jerusalem. See Matt. 27:52–53. on the edge of his land. Let him sell it to me publicly # 23:9 Or “in your presence” or “among you.” and at the full price, so that I may own it for a burial site.” 10Now Ephron the Hittite was sitting there among his countrymen. He spoke up so all the Hittites who sat at the gate as elders of the city # 23:10 Or “who came in at the gate of his city,” a figure of speech for stating they had leadership in the city. See Ruth 4:1–12. could hear him, and said, 11“No, my lord, listen. I will give you not only the cave but also the entire field! In the presence of my people, I will give it to you to bury your dead.”
12Then Abraham bowed low before the people of the land, 13and he said to Ephron in the hearing of all the people, “No, please listen, kind sir. I will pay whatever the field is worth. Take my money so that I can bury my dead there.”
14-15“If you insist, my lord,” answered Ephron. “But what is a piece of land worth only four hundred silver shekels to men of our standing? Go ahead and bury your dead.” 16So Abraham agreed to the amount, weighed out the four hundred silver shekels # 23:16 The price was undoubtedly high. Jeremiah gave only seventeen shekels for land that was probably no less spacious than the field of Machpelah (see Jer. 32:9). Although difficult to estimate the cost, some have calculated four hundred shekels of silver to be approximately ten pounds of silver. according to the merchant’s standard of weight, and in the presence of the Hittites he gave the money to Ephron.
17So Ephron’s field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, along with the cave and all the trees within its borders, passed 18to Abraham as his legal possession. The complete transaction was carried out in the presence of the Hittites—those who sat as elders at the city gates. 19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave there in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (now Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20Both the field and the cave passed from the Hittites to Abraham’s possession to be his family burial ground.
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