Genesis 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

Sarah’s Death and Burial

1Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2And Sarah died at #ch. 35:27; Josh. 14:15; Judg. 1:10 Kiriath-arba (that is, #ver. 19Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,#23:3 Hebrew sons of Heth; also verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20 4#ch. 17:8; 1 Chr. 29:15; Ps. 105:12; Heb. 11:9, 13 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; #Acts 7:5give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5The Hittites answered Abraham, 6“Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God#23:6 Or a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”

10Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who #ch. 34:20, 24; Ruth 4:1went in at the gate of his city, 11“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred #Ex. 30:13; Ezek. 45:12shekels#23:15 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham #1 Chr. 21:25; Jer. 32:9; Zech. 11:12weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

17So #ch. 25:9; 49:29-32; 50:13the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20The field and the cave that is in it #[Ruth 4:7-10; Jer. 32:10-14]were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

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