2901. Genesis 23

1. And the life ¹ of Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years - the years of the life ¹ of Sarah.

2. And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, which is Hebron in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

3. And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,

4. I am a stranger and an inhabitant among you; give me possession of a grave among you, and I will bury my dead from before me.

5. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

6. Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God in the midst of us; in the choicest of our graves bury your dead; none of us will withhold his grave from you, from burying your dead.

7. And Abraham rose up and bowed to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth.

8. And he spoke to them, saying, If you are willing ² to let me bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron the son of Zohar.

9. And let him give me the cave of Machpelah which is his, which is at the end of his field; for the full price ³ let him give it to me in the midst of you, as a possession for a grave.

10. And Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, in the ears of the sons of Heth, to all entering into the gate of his city, saying,

11. No, my lord, hear me; the field I give to you, and the cave that is in it I give to you; before the eyes of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.

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

13. And he spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, Even so, please hear me; I will give the price ⁴ of the field; accept it from me, and I will bury my dead there.

14. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

15. My lord, hear me; the land [is worth] four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.

16. And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current with the merchant.

17. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah - which was before Mamre - the field and the cave which was in it, and every tree which was in the field, which was in all its borders round about, was made over

18. To Abraham as an acquisition, before the eyes of the sons of Heth, in [the presence] of all entering the gate of his city.

19. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre, which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.

20. And the field and the cave which was in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a grave, from the sons of Heth.

CONTENTS

The subject here in the internal sense is the new spiritual Church which was raised up by the Lord after the previous one had altogether breathed its last, and also the reception of faith among those who belonged to the Church. 'Sarah' here is Divine truth that breathed its last; 'burial' is a raising up again; 'Ephron' and 'the sons of Heth' are those people among whom the good and truth of the Church was received; 'Machpelah, which was before Mamre' is regeneration; 'Hebron in the land of Canaan' is a new Church.

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