XXIII. DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH. (1) SARAH WAS AN HUNDRED AND SEVEN AND TWENTY YEARS OLD. — Sarah is the only woman whose age at her death is mentioned in the Bible, an honour doubtless given her as the ancestress of the Hebrew race (Isaiah 51:2). As she was ninety at Isaac’s birth, he would now b... [ Continue Reading ]
KIRJATH-ARBA; THE SAME IS HEBRON. — This was a very ancient city, built seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numbers 13:22), probably by a tribe of Semites on their way to the Delta. It lies upon the very border of the Negeb of Judah, about twenty-two miles south of Jerusalem. Originally it was named K... [ Continue Reading ]
ABRAHAM STOOD UP FROM BEFORE HIS DEAD. — His first care on arriving at Hebron had been to prostrate himself in Sarah’s tent, and give utterance to his grief. Only after this he rises to prepare for her burial. THE SONS OF HETH. — Up to this time we have read only of Amorites, Mamre and his toothers... [ Continue Reading ]
A POSSESSION OF A BURYINGPLACE. — While strangers might pasture their cattle upon the open downs, yet the consent of the natives seems to have been necessary before Abraham could occupy any spot permanently (Genesis 15:13; Genesis 20:15). He now wanted even more, and for the actual appropriation of... [ Continue Reading ]
A MIGHTY PRINCE. — Heb., _a prince of God._ Comp. “wind of God” (Genesis 1:2); “wrestlings of God” (Genesis 30:8); “mountains of God” (Psalms 36:6); “cedars of God” (Psalms 80:10). So also “a sleep of Jehovah” for a deep sleep (1 Samuel 26:12). IN THE CHOICE OF OUR SEPULCHRES. — The interview betwee... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CAVE OF MACHPELAH. — That is, _the double cave,_ consisting probably of an outer and an inner compartment. As the land around is also called “the field of Machpelah” (Genesis 49:30; Genesis 1:13), some imagine that it was the valley that was double; but more probably’it took its name from the ca... [ Continue Reading ]
AND EPHRON DWELT AMONG... — Again a mistranslation. The Heb. is, _Ephron was sitting in the midst of the Hittites._ At these assemblies held at the gate of the city every free-born citizen had a right to be present, and matters were settled by common consent. As Ephron was the owner of the cave, his... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIELD GIVE I THEE. — Only the cave had! been mentioned, but for its quiet possession the land around was necessary. In the thrice repeated “give I it thee,” there is the same courtly idea as in Genesis 23:6, that they were not buying and selling, but making mutual presents.... [ Continue Reading ]
ABRAHAM BOWED DOWN. — This obeisance on the patriarch’s part is the Oriental method of returning thanks for the granting of a request; and so in Genesis 23:7. The next step is to fix the price.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF THOU WILT GIVE IT, I PRAY THEE, HEAR ME. — Heb., _But if thou wilt, I pray thee, hear me._ It expresses simply a strong desire that Ephron will listen to and grant his next request.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LAND IS WORTH... — Our version misses the courtliness of Ephron’s answer, who only fixes the price indirectly, saying, “Land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee?” The money amounts to about £50, no mean price, considering the high value of silver in those days.... [ Continue Reading ]
ABRAHAM WEIGHED... CURRENT MONEY WITH THE MERCHANT. — Shekel literally means weight, and money was not coined until long afterwards. In the last clause, by inserting _money_ our version antedates facts. According to the Hebrew, it was the silver that was current with the merchants. The metal was pro... [ Continue Reading ]
BEFORE MAMRE. — That is, opposite to it. The Haram wherein the bodies of Abraham and Sarah lie, is situated on the eastern side of the valley, so that Abraham’s oak-grove must have been on its western slope. The old Christian tradition, which places it at Ramet-el-Chalil, does not agree with this de... [ Continue Reading ]
WERE MADE SURE UNTO ABRAHAM. — For the difficulties connected with St. Stephen’s apparent confusion of this transaction with that recorded in Genesis 33:19, see Note on Acts 7:16.... [ Continue Reading ]