Genesis 23: A grave in the land
Abraham buys a grave for Sarah at Machpelah, his first owned piece of the promised land.
Where Genesis 23 sits
- In the story
- Act III, Promise: Genesis 12–50; Job
- In the Bible
- Old Testament · The Law · chapter 23 of 50 in Genesis
- In Genesis
- Terah's line: Abraham, 11:27–25:11 · part of One family
- Before
- Genesis 22: The LORD Will Provide
- After
- Genesis 24: A bride for Isaac
Genesis 23 summary
Sarah dies at 127 in Hebron, and Abraham mourns her. Calling himself a foreigner and an outsider among the Hittites, he asks for a burial place; Ephron offers the field as a gift, but Abraham weighs out four hundred shekels of silver before witnesses. The field and cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, are deeded over to him as a possession, and he buries Sarah there.
Genesis 23 in context
- Speaking
- Moses, narrating; Abraham bargains with the Hittites at the city gate
- Written for
- Israel, heirs of a land their fathers owned only in graves, learning to wait for what God promised
- Around it
- After the oath on Moriah (ch. 22); the search for Isaac's bride follows (ch. 24)
How Genesis 23 points to Christ
The fathers died in faith, without having received the things promised, acknowledging that they were strangers and exiles and longing for a better country (Heb 11:13–16)
The sections of Genesis 23
- Sarah dies23:1–2
Sarah dies at 127 in Kiriath-arba, that is Hebron, in Canaan, and Abraham mourns and weeps for her.
- A foreigner buys a grave23:3–16
Abraham, a foreigner, refuses Ephron's offer of a gift and pays four hundred shekels for the field and cave.
- Deeded to Abraham23:17–20
The field of Machpelah near Mamre, with its cave and trees, is deeded over to Abraham as a possession, and he buries Sarah there.
Read Genesis 23
The Death and Burial of Sarah
1Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. 2She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
3Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites, 4“I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”
5The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6“Listen to us, sir. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”
7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8“If you are willing for me to bury my dead,” he said to them, “listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for full price, so that I may have a burial site.”
10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, 11“No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13and said to Ephron in their presence, “If you will please listen to me, I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.”
14Ephron answered Abraham, 15“Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
16Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.
17So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and all the trees within the boundaries of the field were deeded over 18to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 19After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20So the field and its cave were deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.
Berean Standard Bible, 20 verses. The BSB is in the public domain.
Around Genesis 23
Also in Terah's line: Abraham
- Genesis 12
- Genesis 13
- Genesis 14
- Genesis 15
- Genesis 16
- Genesis 17
- Genesis 18
- Genesis 19
- Genesis 20
- Genesis 21
- Genesis 22
- Genesis 24
Places
- Hebron
- Machpelah
Read alongside
- Hebrews 11:13 All these people died in faith, strangers and exiles on the earth.
- Genesis 25:9 Abraham buried in the same cave.
- Genesis 49:29–32 Jacob asks to be buried there with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah.
How Genesis 23 connects
- Land · Genesis 23:17–20 · The burial plot shows Abraham living as a stranger in the promised land. Hebrews describes his pilgrim faith; it does not identify this purchase as a type. (Hebrews 11:9; Hebrews 11:13–16; Acts 7:5)
Doctrines Genesis 23 teaches
- Saving faith · Hebrews 11:13–16
- Death and the resurrection · Genesis 23:19–20; Hebrews 11:13–16
Questions on Genesis 23
What piece of the promised land does Abraham own by the end of chapter 23?
Show the answer
The field of Machpelah near Mamre, with its cave and trees, bought from Ephron the Hittite for four hundred shekels and deeded to him as a burial site (23:16–20). His first owned piece of the land is a grave.
Where are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob later buried?
Show the answer
In the cave of Machpelah near Mamre. Isaac and Ishmael bury Abraham there with Sarah (25:9–10), Jacob says Isaac and Rebekah lie there too (49:31), and his sons bury Jacob there (50:13).
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