Genesis 23

¹ And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.

² And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

³ And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,

⁴ I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

⁵ And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

⁶ Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

⁷ And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

⁸ And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

⁹ That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

¹⁰ And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,

¹¹ Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

¹² And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

¹³ And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

¹⁴ And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

¹⁵ My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

¹⁶ And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

¹⁷ And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure

¹⁸ Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

¹⁹ And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

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QUESTIONS WORTH EXPLORING

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Why is the purchase of Machpelah narrated in such detail?

The chapter records speakers, witnesses, price, property boundaries, trees, field, cave, and transfer of ownership. Its legal precision makes the burial purchase itself—not only Sarah’s death—the center of the narrative.

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Was four hundred shekels of silver a normal price?

WHAT REMAINS UNCERTAIN

The chapter gives a weight of silver rather than coinage. Comparing ancient land-sale documents can show how property transactions were recorded, but surviving prices vary by period, location, and property, so “fair” or “inflated” cannot be established from the number alone.

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Who were the “Hittites” or “sons of Heth” here?

WHAT REMAINS UNCERTAIN

The Hebrew label has prompted debate over whether it refers to people connected with the Anatolian Hittite world, a local population known by a similar name, or a literary ethnic designation. The text itself places them as landholders in Hebron.

WORTH A CLOSER LOOK

Artifacts

The traditional Machpelah complex at Hebron

The monumental enclosure in Hebron marks the traditional location of the Cave of Machpelah. Its visible architecture is much later than the Genesis narrative, so it is best examined as the history of a remembered sacred place rather than as direct evidence for Abraham’s purchase.

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⌘ Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3

History & Daily Life1

• Abraham Negotiates to Buy the Cave of the Machpelah in the Promised LandTheTorah.com

  Directly focused on Genesis 23; explains Abraham's formal negotiation, land purchase, and the first legal foothold in the promised land.

Maps & Timeline1

• MamrePleiades Gazetteer

  Ancient-place resource for Mamre, near Hebron; useful map-based support for locating the burial-purchase setting without using a general map page.

Language & Literature1

• Strong's Hebrew: 3701. Kesef — Silver / MoneyBible Hub

  Focused word study on silver/money, central to Genesis 23's weighed-payment land transaction for the cave of Machpelah.

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