Genesis 23
23
Sarah Dies and Abraham Buys a Burial Ground
1Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2She died in Hebron in the land of Canaan, and Abraham mourned her death.
3He left the place where his wife's body was lying, went to the Hittites, and said, 4#Heb 11.9, 13; Acts 7.16“I am a foreigner living here among you; sell me some land, so that I can bury my wife.”
5They answered, 6“Listen to us, sir. We look upon you as a mighty leader; bury your wife in the best grave that we have. Any of us would be glad to give you a grave, so that you can bury her.”
7Then Abraham bowed before them 8and said, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife here, please ask Ephron son of Zohar 9to sell me Machpelah Cave, which is near the edge of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for its full price, here in your presence, so that I can own it as a burial ground.”
10Ephron himself was sitting with the other Hittites at the meeting place at the city gate; he answered in the hearing of everyone there, 11“Listen, sir; I will give you the whole field and the cave that is in it. Here in the presence of my own people, I will give it to you, so that you can bury your wife.”
12But Abraham bowed before the Hittites 13and said to Ephron, so that everyone could hear, “May I ask you, please, to listen. I will buy the whole field. Accept my payment, and I will bury my wife there.”
14Ephron answered, 15“Sir, land worth only 400 pieces of silver — what is that between us? Bury your wife in it.” 16Abraham agreed and weighed out the amount that Ephron had mentioned in the hearing of the people — 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard weights used by the merchants.
17That is how the property which had belonged to Ephron at Machpelah, east of Mamre, became Abraham's. It included the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees in the field up to the edge of the property. 18It was recognized as Abraham's property by all the Hittites who were there at the meeting.
19Then Abraham buried his wife Sarah in that cave in the land of Canaan. 20So the field which had belonged to the Hittites, and the cave in it, became the property of Abraham for a burial ground.
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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