The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Genesis 23
1 Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven
years. This was the length of Sarah’s life.
2 Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (also called
Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham
came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for
her.
3 Abraham rose up from before his dead
and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,
4 “I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a
burying-place with you, that I may bury
my dead out of my sight.”
5 The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 “Hear us, my lord. You are a prince
of God among us. Bury your dead in the
best of our tombs. None of us will withhold
from you his tomb. Bury your dead.”
7 Abraham rose up, and bowed himself
to the people of the land, to the children of
Heth.
8 He talked with them, saying, “If you
agree that I should bury my dead out of
my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to
Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 that he may sell me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of
his field. For the full price let him sell it to
me among you as a possession for a burial
place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting in the middle
of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite
answered Abraham in the hearing of the
children of Heth, even of all who went in
at the gate of his city, saying,
11 “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the
field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In
the presence of the children of my people I
give it to you. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed himself down before
the people of the land.
13 He spoke to Ephron in the audience of
the people of the land, saying, “But if you
will, please hear me. I will give the price of
the field. Take it from me, and I will bury
my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to
him,
15 “My lord, listen to me. What is a
piece of land worth four hundred shekels
of silver† between me and you? Therefore
bury your dead.”
16 Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which
he had named in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the current merchants’
standard.
17 So the field of Ephron, which was in
Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the
field, the cave which was in it, and all the
trees that were in the field, that were in all
of its borders, were deeded
18 to Abraham for a possession in the
presence of the children of Heth, before all
who went in at the gate of his city.
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his
wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah
before Mamre (thatis, Hebron), in the land
of Canaan.
20 The field, and the cave that is in it,
were deeded to Abraham by the children
of Heth as a possession for a burial place.
23:15 A shekel is about 10 grams, so 400 shekels would be about 4 kg. or 8.8 pounds.