Genesis 23:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.”

NIV: and he said to Ephron in their hearing, 'Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.'

NASB: But he spoke to Ephron so that the people of the land heard, saying, 'If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me so that I may bury my dead there.'

CSB: and said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, "Listen to me, if you please. Let me pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there."

NLT: and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. 'No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”

Abraham has offered to buy a cave owned by Ephron the Hittite, for use as a permanent burial place for his people. Ephron had offered to "give" the cave to Abraham, along with the field attached to it. It is likely this was a form of negotiation, however. In reality, Ephron may have been saying, "I don't want to sell you the cave without the field." Or, "I'll lend you the field as long as it is still mine."

Now Abraham responds to this counter offer of the "gift" of the cave and field together by agreeing to buy the field with the cave. In fact, Abraham insisted on it. Again, Abraham understood that God had promised all of the land of Canaan to his descendants. His desire here was to permanently own a place to bury his people in what would become their land.

Genesis 23:1–20 begins with the death of Abraham's wife Sarah at 127 years of age. That makes Abraham 137 years old and Isaac around 37. Abraham mourns for his wife and then approaches the Hittites settled in the region of Hebron about purchasing a permanent family burial place near Mamre. Once that transaction is completed, Abraham buries Sarah in the tomb where he himself and their son and one grandson will later be buried.

At the age of 127 years old, Abraham's wife Sarah dies. Now living in the region of Hebron, near Mamre, Abraham approaches the local people, the Hittites, about purchasing a specific cave he wants to use as a permanent family burial place. Abraham asks for a cave owned by Ephron the Hittite. After an odd negotiation, Abraham agrees to buy the cave and a field attached to it for 400 shekels of silver. Finally, Abraham buries Sarah in this cave at Machpelah in the land of Canaan. The permanent occupation of the land of Canaan by God's people has begun.

In the previous chapters, Isaac was born, Ishmael was sent away, and Abraham prepared to offer Isaac as an offering to God. Genesis 23 jumps forward a couple of decades to the death of Sarah at 127 years old. Abraham mourns for her and then purchases a cave near Mamre as a permanent family burial place in the land of Canaan. In the following chapter, Abraham will set about finding Isaac a wife.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.