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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 23
Sarah dies and is buried in the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham buys from
Ephron the Hittie.
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1 AND Sarah was an
hundred and seven and twenty years
olda: these were the years
of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah adied in Kirjath-arba;
the same is bHebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came
to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
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1a Sarah was an hundred and seven and
twenty years old Sarah died many years prior to her husband
Abraham's death. Sarah was ninety years old when she bore Isaac. Thus she
lived 37 years after his birth, Isaac being 37 years old when she died at
age 127 years old. Abraham was a hundred years old at Isaac's birth, 137
years old at Sarah's death, and lived until he was 175 when he died. Thus he
lived for 38 years after Sarah's death.
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2a
Gen. 24:67
b
Gen. 13:18;
Gen. 23:19
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3 ¶ And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
4 I am aa stranger and a
sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I
may bury my bdead out of my sight.
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1a
Gen. 30:22 (22-23);
1 Sam. 2:21
b
Gen. 17:19;
Gen. 18:10 (10, 14)
2a
Gen. 24:36
b
TG
Old Age
c
Gen. 17:21
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5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 Hear us, my lord: thou art
aa mighty prince among
usa: in the choice of our
sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre,
but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
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6a thou art a mighty prince among
us Though Abraham was of the position of a 'shepherd king' in his
own right, being over vast herds and a large community of people, a small
mobil city as it were, the title afforded here is even more pronounced.
From the lexicon Hebrew text comes this comparison of translation:
adhon/î
my lord:
nesî' (Nasiy')
a prince [high one]
elohîm
mighty [Mighty God]
(Old Testament | Genesis 23:6:2 - 4)
This in effect sets forth Abraham as being recognized as being a 'high one
of mighty God' or a 'prince of God' as was Melchizedek so considered
before him.
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6a
HEB a prince of God
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7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 That he may give me the cave of
aMachpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of
his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a
possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
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10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and
Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth,
even of all that went in at the agate of his city,
saying,
11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
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12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
13 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.
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14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth
four hundred ashekels of silver; what is that
betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
16 And Abraham hearkened unto
aEphron; and Abraham bweighed to
cEphron the silver, which he had named in the audience of
the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with
the merchant.
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17 ¶ And the field of aEphron,
which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and
the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the
field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
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19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in
the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is
aHebron in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
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