Genesis 23:5-13
New English Translation
5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham,[a] 6 “Listen, sir,[b] you are a mighty prince[c] among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you[d] from burying your dead.”
7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people,[e] the sons of Heth. 8 Then he said to them, “If you agree[f] that I may bury my dead,[g] then hear me out.[h] Ask[i] Ephron the son of Zohar 9 if he will sell[j] me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly[k] for the full price,[l] so that I may own it as a burial site.”
10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hittite[m] replied to Abraham in the hearing[n] of the sons of Heth—before all who entered the gate[o] of his city— 11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell[p] you both the field and the cave that is in it.[q] In the presence of my people[r] I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed before the local people 13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay[s] to you the price[t] of the field. Take it from me so that I may[u] bury my dead there.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 23:5 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
- Genesis 23:6 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
- Genesis 23:6 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, “Nasiʾ ʾelohim (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.
- Genesis 23:6 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 23:7 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
- Genesis 23:8 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).
- Genesis 23:8 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.
- Genesis 23:8 tn Or “hear me.”
- Genesis 23:8 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
- Genesis 23:9 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.
- Genesis 23:9 tn Heb “in your presence.”
- Genesis 23:9 tn Heb “full silver.”
- Genesis 23:10 tn The Hebrew term is “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
- Genesis 23:10 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
- Genesis 23:10 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.
- Genesis 23:11 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.
- Genesis 23:11 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.
- Genesis 23:11 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
- Genesis 23:13 tn Heb “give.”
- Genesis 23:13 tn Heb “silver.”
- Genesis 23:13 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
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