The tomb of Abraham and Sarah
1 ① Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years. 2She died at Kiriatharba—that is Hebron—in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to weep and mourn for Sarah.
3Abraham left his dead one 4and spoke to the Hittites, “I am only a stranger among you; give me a burial place among you, so that I may bury my dead.” 5The Hittites answered Abraham, 6“Hear us, my lord. You are God’s prince among us; bury your dead in the best of our tombs; none of us would refuse you a tomb to bury your dead.” 7Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land, 8and then spoke to them, “If you are willing that I bury my dead, hear me and plead with Ephron, the son of Zohar, 9to give me the cave of Machpelah belonging to him; it is at the edge of his field. For the full price and in your presence, let him give it to me for a burial place.” 10Now Ephron was there sitting among the Hittites, and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all who were seated at the gate of the town, 11“No, my lord, listen! I give you the field and I give you the cave in it. In the presence of the sons of my people, I give it to you. Bury your dead there.”
12Abraham bowed before the people of the land and spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, 13“Ah, if only you will listen to me, I will give you the price of the land. Accept it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 14Ephron replied to Abraham, “My lord, hear me. 15Four hundred silver coins for a piece of land, is it not the right price for both of us? Bury your dead.” 16Abraham agreed with Ephron and he weighed out for Ephron the silver he had insisted on in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred silver coins, in merchants’ coins. 17And so Ephron’s field in Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave in it, and all the trees in the field, throughout its entire area, 18was acquired by Abraham as his possession in the presence of the Hittites and of all who went in at the gate of their city. 19After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. 20The unused field and the cave that is in it were given to Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the Hittites.
- Gen 23,1 Abraham travels throughout Palestine without ever having a place of his own (Heb 7:9); he holds everything as a promise. Sarah's death however, gives Abraham the opportunity, at least, to buy a place for her burial.
