Read with Me
Genesis 23:1-20 (HCSB)
Now Sarah lived 127 years; these were all the years of her life. Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites: “I am a foreign resident among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”
The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Listen to us, lord. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in our finest burial place. None of us will withhold from you his burial place for burying your dead.”
Then Abraham rose and bowed down to the Hittites, the people of the land. He said to them, “If you are willing for me to bury my dead, listen to me and ask Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf to give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me in your presence, for the full price, as a burial place.”
Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. So in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham: “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 bowed down to the people of the land and said to Ephron in the presence of the people of the land, “Please listen to me. Let me pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”
Ephron answered Abraham and said to him, “My lord, listen to me. Land worth 400 shekels of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to in the presence of the Hittites: 400 shekels of silver at the current commercial rate. So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre—the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the boundaries of the field—became Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city. 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. The field with its cave passed from the Hittites to Abraham as a burial place.
Listen with Me
To many, this passage seems like the mere record of a business deal. But it is much more than that. It signifies the first seed of Abraham’s inheritance planted in the Promised Land.
When Sarah died at 127 years old Isaac was 37, and Abraham was 137. He would live another 38 years, but of course, he didn’t know that at the time. The death of Sarah made him realize that, as a resident alien with no rights among the people he was dwelling with, he didn’t even have a family tomb, a place where he and his extended family could be laid to rest.
Abraham was well-known and respected among the leaders in the area. So, Abraham went to Mamre, later called Hebron, to the courtyard inside the city gates where the elders of the community met daily to decide the various issues that arose or that were brought to them for their decision. Abraham knew of a cave outside the city that would be a perfect site for the family tomb, not just for Sarah, but for him and his extended family through the generations to come.
In researching the cave, he found that it was owned by Ephron the son of Zohar, one of the elders in Mamre. So, he took the matter to the elders, hoping to convince Ephron to sell him the cave. The intention was that this transaction would be witnessed by all the other elders, and would thus be binding.
Ephron was willing to sell the cave to Abraham. (The term “give” used here repeatedly was a polite form for “sell” used in negotiating the price of something, as contemporary records show.) But he was only willing to sell the cave as part of a package deal. Abraham had to buy the field in which the cave was located as well, yielding a much higher price.
The price negotiated was 400 pieces of silver, about ten pounds. The price didn’t phase Abraham. He was quite wealthy, and he would have paid even more if it meant being able to bury Sarah before decay set in. So, the deal was concluded and witnessed by all the elders of the city. It wasn’t much as far as size went. But that small piece of property provided a start, a toehold in the land.
Pray with Me
Father, Your hand was clearly seen in this event, moving the heart of Ephron the Hittite so that he was willing to part with his piece of property, albeit at a handsome price. But more important in the grand scheme is that this was more than a tomb. It was the first step in Your people being able to possess the whole land. It is very easy for us to overlook small beginnings like this, to fail to see the significance of seemingly minor events or acquisitions. But all through Genesis, this site is visited and revisited in the narrative, showing its significance to Your plan. Lord, helped me to never lose sight of small opportunities to drive a stake in the ground for Your kingdom, and to look for the larger things that You will bring into existence through small steps in the right direction. Amen.