Genesischapter 23
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The Burial of Sarah — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
A.Sarah Dies at Hebronvv. 1-2
1 Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
B.Buying the Cave of Machpelahvv. 3-16
3 Then 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.” 5 The 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.” 7 Then 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 9 to 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.” 10 Now 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.” 12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and 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.” 14 Ephron 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.” 16 Abraham 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.
C.The Field Deeded to Abrahamvv. 17-20
17 So 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 18 to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.
Chapter summary
Sarah's death at Kirjath-arba (Hebron).
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Chapter summary
Sarah's death at Kirjath-arba (Hebron).
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Sarah's death at Kirjath-arba (Hebron). Abraham rises from mourning to buy a burying-place from the sons of Heth. The transaction is stately, formal, dignified. A page-long bargain for the cave of Machpelah, the field that contained it, and all its trees. Four hundred shekels of silver in current merchant weight. The chapter is the first real estate transaction in Scripture: a pilgrim in the land of promise takes formal possession of only a grave. Henry reads it as a promise in seed: the whole land will one day be his; now, a foothold for the bones. Sarah is buried in the cave.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.
Context
Law · Moses — Genesis overview
- A. 1–2 Sarah Dies at Hebron
- B. 3–16 Buying the Cave of Machpelah
- C. 17–20 The Field Deeded to Abraham
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Genesis 235 verses
- Genesis 23:7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.
- Genesis 23:15“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.”
- Genesis 23:18to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.
- Genesis 23:19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
- Genesis 23:20So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.
- Read Genesis 23 →
Ruth 43 verses
- Ruth 4:1Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
- Ruth 4:7Now in former times in Israel, concerning the redemption or exchange of property, to make any matter legally binding a man would remove his sandal and give it to the other party, and this was a confirmation in Israel.
- Ruth 4:9At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.
- Read Ruth 4 →
Jeremiah 323 verses
- Jeremiah 32:9So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out seventeen shekels of silver.
- Jeremiah 32:10I signed and sealed the deed, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
- Jeremiah 32:12and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement and all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
- Read Jeremiah 32 →
Genesis 503 verses
- Genesis 50:13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
- Genesis 50:24Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
- Genesis 50:25And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
- Read Genesis 50 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Genesis 342 verses
- Genesis 34:20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:
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Genesis 142 verses
- Genesis 14:14And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
- Genesis 14:22But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
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Exodus 302 verses
- Exodus 30:13Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.
- Exodus 30:15In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.
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Genesis 181 verse
- Genesis 18:2And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
- Read Genesis 18 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.