Lockman - Bible questions and answers

		Gen 23:1 Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; this was the length of the life of Sarah.
		Gen 23:2 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.
		Gen 23:3 Then Abraham stood up before his dead [wife's body], and spoke to the sons of Heth (Hittites), saying,
		Gen 23:4 "I am a stranger and a sojourner (resident alien) among you; give (sell) me property for a burial place among you so that I may bury my dead [in the proper manner]."
		Gen 23:5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,
		Gen 23:6 "Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God [a mighty prince] among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave or hinder you from burying your dead [wife]."
		Gen 23:7 So Abraham stood up and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites.
		Gen 23:8 And Abraham said to them, "If you are willing to grant my dead a [proper] burial, listen to me, and plead with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,
		Gen 23:9 so that he may give (sell) me the cave of Machpelah which he owns--it is at the end of his field; let him give it to me here in your presence for the full price as a burial site [which I may keep forever among you]."
		Gen 23:10 Now Ephron was present there among the sons of Heth; so within the hearing of all the sons of Heth and all who were entering the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, saying,
		Gen 23:11 "No, my lord, hear me; I give you the [entire] field, and I also give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the men of my people I give (sell) it to you; bury your dead [there]."
		Gen 23:12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.
		Gen 23:13 He said to Ephron in the presence of the people of the land, "If you will only please listen to me and accept my offer. I will give you the price of the field; accept it from me and I will bury my dead there."
		Gen 23:14 Ephron replied to Abraham,
		Gen 23:15 "My lord, listen to me. The land [you seek] is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between you and me? So bury your dead."
		Gen 23:16 So Abraham listened to Ephron [and agreed to his terms]; and he weighed out for Ephron the [amount of] silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
		Gen 23:17 ¶ So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre (Hebron)--the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and in all its borders around it--were deeded over [legally]
		Gen 23:18 to Abraham as his possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who were entering at the gate of his city.
		Gen 23:19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah to the east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
		Gen 23:20 The field and the cave in it were deeded over to Abraham by the Hittites as a [permanent] possession and burial place.

Search for your Bible question and answer here: