Year of the Bible
Genesis 23
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Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 23:
When Sarah dies, we discover the paradoxical nature of Abraham’s life. Although God has promised land to Abraham’s descendants, Abraham has no land in which to bury his wife. Yet, he has status in the region, for the local Hittites describe him as a prince. Abraham negotiates a place to bury Sarah and purchases a field. The details and repetitions in the narrative serve as a reminder of how important it is that Abraham finally has land he can call his own and can pass on to his son.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 23:
Sarah’s Death and Burial
1 Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our sepulchres; none of us will withhold from you his sepulchre, or hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Mach-pelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field.
For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 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 sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me; I will give the price of the field; accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham agreed with Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron in Mach-pelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave which was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, 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 Mach- pelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the Hittites.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Lord, this chapter shows much concern for burying the dead. What thoughts of death or burial come to my mind as I reflect on this Scripture? Anything that pertains to my own family and friends who have passed?
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Sara vivió ciento veintisiete años
2 y murió en Quiriat–Arbá, esto
es, Hebrón, en tierra de Canaán. Abrahán
fue a hacer duelo por Sara y a llorarla.
3 Después, se levantó Abrahán de
junto a su difunta, y habló a los hititas:
4 –Yo soy un extranjero que reside
entre vosotros. Dadme en propiedad un
sepulcro para enterrar a mi difunta.
5 Los hititas respondieron a Abrahán:
6 –Escúchanos, señor; tú eres, en medio
de nosotros, un príncipe divino; entierra
a tu difunta en el más noble de
nuestros sepulcros, pues ninguno de
nosotros te negará su sepulcro para que
entierres a tu difunta.
7 Abrahán se levantó, se inclinó ante
la gente del país, los hititas, 8 y les dijo:
–Si está en vuestro ánimo que entierre
aquí a mi difunta, escuchadme e
interceded por mí ante Efrón, hijo de
Sójar, 9 para que me ceda la cueva de
Macpelá que es suya, y que está en el límite
de su campo; que me la venda a su
precio, ante vosotros, como propiedad
para sepulcro.
10 Efrón estaba sentado entre los hititas,
y Efrón el hitita respondió a Abrahán
en presencia de los hititas y de todos
los que entraban por la puerta de la
ciudad:
11 –No, señor, escúchame: te doy el
campo y te doy la cueva que hay en él;
te la doy a la vista de mis paisanos para
que entierres a tu difunta.
12 Abrahán se inclinó ante la gente
del país, 13 y contestó a Efrón, en presencia
de la gente del país:
–Bien, si te parece, escúchame: yo
doy el dinero del campo, acéptamelo y
entonces enterraré allí a mi difunta.
14 Efrón contestó a Abrahán diciéndole:
15 –Escúchame, señor: una tierra de
cuatrocientos siclos de plata, ¿qué es
para ti y para mí?; entierra, pues, a tu
difunta.
16 Abrahán aceptó y pesó para Efrón,
en presencia de los hititas, el dinero del
que había hablado: cuatrocientos siclos
de plata de curso en el mercado.
17 Así, el campo de Efrón en Macpelá,
que está frente a Mambré, el campo
y la cueva que hay en él, con todos los
árboles que rodean el campo en todas
sus lindes, pasaron a ser 18 propiedad de
Abrahán, a la vista de los hititas y de todos
los que entraban por la puerta de su
ciudad.
19 Después de esto, Abrahán dio sepultura
a Sara, su mujer, en la cueva del
campo de Macpelá, frente a Mambré, es
decir, Hebrón, en tierra de Canaán. 20 El
campo, con la cueva que hay en él, pasó
a ser propiedad sepulcral de Abrahán,
adquirida a los hititas.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
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