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Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah’s life. Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying, “I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, “Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the best of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb. Bury your dead.”
Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. He talked with them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me among you for a possession of a burying-place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting in the middle of the children of Heth. Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Heth, even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. 13 He spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, “But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver+ between me and you? Therefore bury your dead.”
16 Abraham listened to Ephron. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver,+ according to the current merchants’ standard.
17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded 18 to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. 20 The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the children of Heth.
+1:1The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).+1:29“Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.+2:4“Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.+2:12or, aromatic resin+2:18or, suitable for, or appropriate for.+3:24cherubim are powerful angelic creatures, messengers of God with wings. See Ezekiel 10.+4:1or, lay with, or, had relations with+4:1or, became pregnant+5:2“Adam” and “Man” are spelled with the exact same consonants in Hebrew, so this can be correctly translated either way.+6:4or, giants+6:15A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.+7:20A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.+12:7or, seed+13:16or, seed+15:2The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai”.+15:3or, seed+15:5or, seed+15:13or, seed+15:18or, seed+16:10or, seed+16:14Beer Lahai Roi means “well of the one who lives and sees me”.+17:7or, seed+17:7or, seed+17:8or, seed+17:9or, seed+17:10or, seed+17:12or, seed+17:19Isaac means “he laughs”.+17:19or, seed+18:61 seah is about 7 liters or 1.9 gallons or 0.8 pecks+19:22Zoar means “little”.+19:32or, seed+19:34or, seed+21:3Isaac means “He laughs”.+21:12or, seed+21:13or, seed+21:31Beersheba can mean “well of the oath” or “well of seven”.+22:14or, Yahweh-Jireh, or, Yahweh-Seeing+22:17or, seed+22:17or, seed+22:18or, seed+23:15A shekel is about 10 grams, so 400 shekels would be about 4 kg. or 8.8 pounds.+23:16A shekel is about 10 grams, so 400 shekels would be about 4 kg. or 8.8 pounds.