Genesis 23:4-6

23:4 “I am a temporary settler ¹  among you. Grant ²  me ownership ³  of a burial site among you so that I may ⁴  bury my dead.” ⁵ 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, ⁶  23:6 “Listen, sir, ⁷  you are a mighty prince ⁸  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ⁹  from burying your dead.”

[23:4]  ¹ tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”

[23:4]  ² 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.

[23:4]  ³ tn Or “possession.”

[23:4]  ⁴ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.

[23:4]  ⁵ 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.

[23:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”

[23:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

[23:6]  ⁸ 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.

[23:6]  ⁹ tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.