The Death and Burial of Sarah
When Sarah... died, Abraham acquired a parcel of...
When Sarah . . . died, Abraham acquired a parcel of land for a burial place. This transaction was the first sign that a permanent transition had taken place, as people were normally buried in their ancestral homeland (cp. 49:29–50:13). In burying Sarah, Abraham detached from his just-mentioned ancestral home (where his relatives still lived, 22:20–24); his future would be in Canaan, where his descendants would realize the promise.
Sarah was 127 years old: Isaac was 37...
- Sarah was 127 years old: Isaac was 37 at this time (cp. 17:17).
- Hebron: See study note on 13:18.
1Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
Abraham bargained with local Hittite elders for a...
- Abraham bargained with local Hittite elders for a piece of land for a burial site. These Hittites had apparently migrated south to Canaan from the great Hittite empire in eastern Asia Minor (modern Turkey; cp. 10:15).
- Abraham was a stranger and a foreigner among these people; his hope was in God’s promise that he would eventually possess the land.
3Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites,† 4“I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”
my lord, you are an honored prince: Either...
- my lord, you are an honored prince: Either Abraham was highly regarded by these people, or they were politely appealing to his generosity.
- Choose the finest. . . . No one here will refuse: They were willing to accommodate his request, especially if they could legally obligate him to themselves (23:11).
5The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6“Listen to us, sir. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”
Abraham wanted to buy Ephron’s cave at Machpelah,...
Abraham wanted to buy Ephron’s cave at Machpelah, but Ephron wanted him to buy the entire field.
7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8“If you are willing for me to bury my dead,” he said to them, “listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for full price, so that I may have a burial site.”
10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, 11“No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
Abraham didn’t want the whole field, but he...
Abraham didn’t want the whole field, but he was willing to take it to get the cave.
12Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13and said to Ephron in their presence, “If you will please listen to me, I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.”
14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver,† but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
Abraham paid the amount and finalized the transaction,...
Abraham paid the amount and finalized the transaction, avoiding indebtedness by accepting no gifts from the people (cp. 14:21–24). The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction, ensuring that no one could challenge Abraham’s full ownership of the land. The transaction took place at the city gate, where public legal and business dealings were conducted (cp. 19:1). The land became Abraham’s permanent possession, a down payment on God’s promise to give him the land. Abraham knew that God’s promise was not fulfilled (12:7) by this acquisition, so he planned for the future. By buying land for his dead, he declared that God’s promises do not end with this life. This is the hope of all who die in faith.
16Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.
17So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and all the trees within the boundaries of the field were deeded over 18to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.