The Death of Sarah
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 23:2 Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth, 23:4 “I am a temporary settler among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead.”
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 23:6 “Listen, sir, you are a mighty prince among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly for the full price, so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite replied to
Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay to you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I may bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and weighed out for him the price that Ephron had quoted in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time.
23:17 So Abraham secured Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of
Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city.23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site from the sons of Heth.
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Great job keeping up with this, Stef-dogg. I love the parallel b/t Abraham/Isaac, and God/Jesus. I'm wiht Jackie, though, how in the world would I respond to such a request. I pray that this story helps all of our faiths to strengthen, so that we may be willing to do whatever God wants of us.
ReplyDeleteBTW, JIA=Free internet access...tell Craig!
This sounds like a conversation between me and my sister. Everyone is trying to be so nice that it becomes frustrating. I also think that this is the first recorded death of a woman in the bible... am I correct? God must've thought very highly of Sarah.
ReplyDeleteJacklyn I think you are right on with your comment that Sarah was the first woman whose death is noted in the Bible. The commentary (again excellent) suggests that it is the first time a woman's age is noted. I agree God must've thought very highly of Sarah. She was to become the mother of many nations of which her offspring would eventually trace to Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWhat an intriguing chapter. My first thoughts have always surrounded the negotiation / transaction between Abraham and Ephron. The commentary that I red adds some more insight into the significance of the transaction. The link is below. My summary and comments to follow.
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=102
While it is easy to get caught up in the series of events in the negotiation it's interesting to note that Abraham has chosen to bury Sarah (and by natural connection himself and later family) in Canann, not his father's land (or his homeland). This decision highlights Abraham's faith in God that this land will in fact one day be his land. How do we accomplish a great work for God? By starting with what we have and leaving the heavy lifting to Him. Abraham could buy a burial plot and land for his wife. Through this he marked his faith in God - that God would provide the solution and opportunity for his offspring.
Another interesting note is that this book was presumably written well in advance of Isreal conquering and controlling the promised land.
Finally, Abraham was a foreigner in the land he lived in. Just as we are to "live" (and live righteously) as foreigners in a world that we don't belong to. The parallelism is fascinating. Sorry if I rambled on. I had a lot to comments and thoughts on this one - it seems as if in the past I sort of missed the forest for the trees.