Genesis 23:1-20 • The death of Sarah

Steve Schott
Aug 13
6 min read

► Death is never easy. Whether it's the sudden shock of an accident, or the prolonged decay caused by disease, it's always hard to accept the loss of a loved one.

► I've seen death often in my adult life. A father-in-law. A sister-in-law. One of my son's fiancé. Two grandchildren. A sister. Several friends.

► When I think of Sarah, at first known as Sarai, I am reminded that she was married to Abraham for a long time. Over 50 years. But keep in mind the revelation that she is actually Abraham's half-sister, and younger than Abraham, so he probably knew her, her entire life. How many times during his young adult years might he have had the pretty young girl playing or dancing within his view. Maybe she picked on him relentlessly because she looked up to her older brother. Maybe he felt protective of her. So when it came time for her to enter into the role of his wife, he may have already had a fond affection for her. Regardless, he would have known her for her entire 127 years of life.

Genesis 23:1-20 → 1 Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

• His love for her must have been great. Apparently, Abraham had migrated back north from Beersheba to Hebron, which is about halfway between Hebron to the south and Bethel to the north. We are not told why or when this migration happened.

3 Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 “Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” 7 So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site.”

• Abraham approaches some of the locals, asking them for a burial site for Sarah.

• They, the "sons of Heth", whomever they are, are mentioned 8 times in this passage. They basically tell him he can have any grave he wants from them, as he is "a mighty prince".

• Abraham must have already known the specific location he desired, as he implores them to "approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns,...", also stating that he is willing to pay "the full price".

• And the dance begins...

10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth; even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, 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 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13 He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, commercial standard.

• Abraham must have known that Ephron was in his presence, hence the specific nature of his request. Ephron responded "I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it." He acknowledges the people who are witnessing this conversation.

• Abraham bows in front of everyone, I believe a sign of respect for them and for Ephron, and responds by repeating that he will pay "the price of the field,...".

• Ephron counters with a comment that I believe is a way to communicate to Abraham the value of the property, without actually asking for payment. "A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you?" It's almost like he's acting like the financial value of the land is insignificant, at least for these two rich guys. It's unclear what the current dollar value would be, but I think it is probably more important that the purchase of the land is witnessed by so many, and would be considered binding since there is the transfer of funds involved.

17 So Ephron’s field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were within all the confines of its border, were deeded over 18 to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

• With a deed in hand, Abraham now has at least a little bit of the promised land that actually belongs specifically to him. The bulk of the rest of it will not belong to his heirs for a few hundred years yet.

19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth.

• So Abraham buries his dear wife, and says his goodbyes.

► It's not a very complex chapter. Another episode of Abraham preparing for his end. Getting all his ducks in a row. While he will still live almost another 30 years, we're not going to hear much about him moving forward.

► I've reached a point in my life (retirement) where I'm starting to focus on two aspects of my future...

1 - How much fun stuff (travel, photography, teaching, spending time with my family) can I accomplish before I become too feeble to do it?

2 - How prepared am I to make the transition to my eternal state?

► I know that spiritually I'm ready, not because of anything I have done, but totally because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. I do want to make the most of the time I have remaining to be of use to Him.

► And I know, that in reality it doesn't really matter how well I plan practically, for the distribution of my junk, because I won't really have any control over what happens with it once I'm gone anyway.

► So now, I'm putting my thoughts about the Scriptures in print, at least in the cloud, for any and all to read. If you've ever had that conviction in your heart that there must be something more, you should listen to it. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Then pick up a Bible and read it. You'll find Him there. Start with the Gospel of John.

Photo • courtesy of Milano Monuments, https://www.milanomonuments.com/

All linked verses are from the YouVersion at www.Bible.com

Steve Schott
Reflections on the Scriptures

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Genesis 23:1-20 • The death of Sarah

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