Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 23:1-9”
Categories: Genesis“Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 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. Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, '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.' The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, '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.' So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 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, 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.'”
---End of Scripture verses---
Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years...” (verse 1) This is the first time in the Bible that the age of a woman is specified at her death, indicating the extreme importance of Sarah in the history of God's people, in the inspired annals of Holy Scripture and to God himself. Galatians 4:26 demonstrates Sarah as a type of the New Jerusalem, and 1 Peter 3:5-6 presents Sarah as the example for all women in Christ to model their lives after. Hebrews chapter 11 portrays her as one of the heroes of our faith. “As 17:17 and 21:5 make clear, the matriarch was 90 years old when she bore Isaac. Since she was 127 at the time of her death, she died three years before Isaac's marriage at the age of 40 (25:20). This sequence of events is further confirmed by the statement that, in taking Rebekah to wife, Isaac 'found comfort after his mother's death' (24:67).” (Nahum Sarna)
“Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan...” (verse 2) “This was a very ancient city, built seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numbers 13:11), 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 Kirjath-arba, and though Arba is called 'the father of Anak' (Joshua 15:13), yet the literal meaning City of Four (arba being the Hebrew numeral four), coupled with the fact that Hebron means alliance (Genesis 13:18), suggests that its building was the result of the union of four families; and afterwards, from the name of the city, Arba may have been often used as a proper name.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)
“Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.” (verse 2) It appears that Abraham was not with Sarah for some reason when she died. Maybe he was making final arrangements in Beersheba for a permanent move to Hebron, or maybe he was out doing business or tending sheep in the field. There is no way to know for certain. But the indication that he was away for some reason suggests that her death happened quickly and unexpectedly. Mourning for the death of a loved one is an appropriate and necessary means of coping with tremendous loss and recovering from the mental and emotional blow delivered by the chill hand of death. This is especially true and important for the loss of a spouse of several decades and the severance of a union so intimate and sacred as the covenant of marriage.
“Then Abraham rose from before his dead...” (verse 3) The fact that Abraham “rose” illustrates the prostrated position that he chose to grieve and morn over the loss of his better half. But, as important and necessary as mourning the loss of a spouse is, it is not a good and healthy thing to grieve forever. Life goes on the the living must keep on living. There are duties to perform, responsibilities to take care of and service to perform for God. One of the important obligations that Abraham needed to carry out was the arrangement of a proper burial plot for his beloved wife. And not in the land of their ancestors but in the Land of Promise where the future lie for the living family and coming posterity that would arise from the sacred union of Abraham and Sarah.
“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.” (verse 4) The flesh of her who was once so beautiful to behold and desirable to foreign kings even at an elderly age, was now, sadly, returning to the dust from which all humanity originated. Death is truly the great equalizer and brings to similitude both the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the wise and the foolish, the beautiful and the ordinary. “The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. Then I said to myself, 'As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?' So I said to myself, 'This too is vanity.' For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!” (Ecclesiastes 2:14-16)
Verses 5-9 – “The account of the purchase of the Cave of Machpelah is extraordinarily detailed, indicating the importance that the episode had assumed in the consciousness of Israel. There are several possible reasons for this emphasis. Not only is it the first recorded death and interment in the history of the Jewish people but it also concerns none other than Sarah, the first matriarch. Abraham's actions are indicative of the great respect for the dead and of the importance of proper burial that remain a characteristic of the Jewish faith. Machpelah is the first piece of real estate in the promised land secured by the founding father of the nation, and its acquisition presages the future possession of the entire land. Since all three patriarchs and three of the matriarchs eventually were interred in the cave, it most likely enjoyed popular veneration as a shrine and as a symbol of national and social unity. This may well have influenced David's choice of Hebron as the first capital of Israel. Finally, the narrative in a very real sense presents another mute affirmation of Abraham's faith... His insistence on acquiring the estate in perpetuity is an expression of faith that his descendants would indeed inherit the land.” (Nahum Sarna)
More on the acquisition of a proper burial sight for Sarah tomorrow, Lord willing
Please read Genesis 23:10-16.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
