Genesis 23:15-16

23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth ¹  400 pieces of silver, ²  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price ³  and weighed ⁴  out for him ⁵  the price ⁶  that Ephron had quoted ⁷  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. ⁸ 

[23:15]  ¹ tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:15]  ² 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).

[23:16]  ³ tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”

[23:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”

[23:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁸ 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.