Genesis 23:1-20

The Death of Sarah

23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 23:2 Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth, 23:4 “I am a temporary settler among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead.” 10 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 11  23:6 “Listen, sir, 12  you are a mighty prince 13  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 14  from burying your dead.”

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 15  the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 16  that I may bury my dead, 17  then hear me out. 18  Ask 19  Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 20  me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 21  for the full price, 22  so that I may own it as a burial site.”

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 23  replied to Abraham in the hearing 24  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 25  of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 26  you both the field and the cave that is in it. 27  In the presence of my people 28  I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”

23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 29  to you the price 30  of the field. Take it from me so that I may 31  bury my dead there.”

23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 32  400 pieces of silver, 33  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 34  and weighed 35  out for him 36  the price 37  that Ephron had quoted 38  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 39 

23:17 So Abraham secured 40  Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 41 

23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 42  from the sons of Heth.

Genesis 5:20

5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.

Matthew 3:10

3:10 Even now the ax is laid at 43  the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:19

7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 3:9

3:9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, 44  and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be 45  cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke 13:7-9

13:7 So 46  he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For 47  three years 48  now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it 49  I find none. Cut 50  it down! Why 51  should it continue to deplete 52  the soil?’ 13:8 But the worker 53  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer 54  on it. 13:9 Then if 55  it bears fruit next year, 56  very well, 57  but if 58  not, you can cut it down.’”


tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”

tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.

sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).

tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”

tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.

tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”

tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.

tn Or “possession.”

tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.

10 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

11 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”

12 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

13 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.

14 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

15 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).

16 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).

17 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

18 tn Or “hear me.”

19 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”

20 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.

21 tn Heb “in your presence.”

22 tn Heb “silver.”

23 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.

24 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.

25 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.

26 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.

27 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

28 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”

29 tn Heb “give.”

30 tn Heb “silver.”

31 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.

32 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

33 sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).

34 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”

35 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”

36 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

37 tn Heb “silver.”

38 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

39 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.

40 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

41 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

42 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”

43 sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.

44 sn Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. The imagery of an “ax already laid at the root of the trees” is vivid, connoting sudden and catastrophic judgment for the unrepentant and unfruitful. The image of “fire” serves to further heighten the intensity of the judgment referred to. It is John’s way of summoning all people to return to God with all their heart and avoid his unquenchable wrath soon to be poured out. John’s language and imagery is probably ultimately drawn from the OT where Israel is referred to as a fruitless vine (Hos 10:1-2; Jer 2:21-22) and the image of an “ax” is used to indicate God’s judgment (Ps 74:5-6; Jer 46:22).

45 tn Grk “is”; the present tense (ἐκκόπτεται, ekkoptetai) has futuristic force here.

46 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response as a result of the lack of figs in the preceding clause.

47 tn Grk “Behold, for.”

48 sn The elapsed time could be six years total since planting, since often a fig was given three years before one even started to look for fruit. The point in any case is that enough time had been given to expect fruit.

49 tn The phrase “each time I inspect it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to indicate the customary nature of the man’s search for fruit.

50 tc ‡ Several witnesses (Ì75 A L Θ Ψ 070 Ë13 33 579 892 al lat co) have “therefore” (οὖν, oun) here. This conjunction has the effect of strengthening the logical connection with the preceding statement but also of reducing the rhetorical power and urgency of the imperative. In light of the slightly greater internal probability of adding a conjunction to an otherwise asyndetic sentence, as well as significant external support for the omission (א B D W Ë1 Ï), the shorter reading appears to be more likely as the original wording here. NA27 puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

51 tn Grk “Why indeed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

52 sn Such fig trees would deplete the soil, robbing it of nutrients needed by other trees and plants.

53 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

54 tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.

55 tn This is a third class condition in the Greek text. The conjunction καί (kai, a component of κάν [kan]) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

56 tn Grk “the coming [season].”

57 tn The phrase “very well” is supplied in the translation to complete the elided idea, but its absence is telling.

58 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text, showing which of the options is assumed.