1. MoseKapitel 23

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Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of Sarah's life.

Sarah died at Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites:

"I am a stranger and a sojourner among you. Give me a burial site among you, so that I may bury my dead."

The Hittites answered Abraham:

"Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. Not one of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead."

Then Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites,

and he said to them, "If you are willing that I should bury my dead, then hear me and plead for me with Ephron son of Zohar,

that he may sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him, at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me for the full price, so that I may have it among you as a burial site."

Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and he answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, all who came to the gate of his city:

"No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead."

Abraham bowed before the people of the land

and said to Ephron in their hearing, "If you are willing, then hear me: I will pay the price of the field. Take it from me, so that I may bury my dead there."

Ephron answered Abraham:

"Hear me, my lord. Land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead."

Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the silver he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the merchants' weight.

So the field of Ephron at Machpelah, facing Mamre—the field with the cave in it and all the trees within its borders—passed

into Abraham's possession in the presence of the Hittites, all who came to the gate of his city.

After this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan.

So the field and the cave in it passed from the Hittites to Abraham as his own burial ground.

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Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 23

Main Theme: Sarah's death and Abraham's purchase of a burial site in Canaan.

Content: Sarah dies at the age of 127 in Kiriath-Arba (Hebron) in Canaan, and Abraham mourns her. As "a stranger and a sojourner," he negotiates with the Hittites to buy a burial plot. The Hittites, who call him "a prince of God," offer him a grave for free, but Abraham insists on paying the full price. He buys the cave of Machpelah along with the surrounding field from the Hittite Ephron for 400 shekels of silver and buries Sarah there.

Key Words/Images:

Cave of Machpelah: The first property owned by the Israelites in the promised land, purchased as a burial place for the patriarchal family.
Stranger and sojourner (ger v'toshav): Abraham's self-description showing that he has not yet inherited the land God promised him.
400 shekels of silver: The full market price ensuring undisputed ownership rights – Abraham did not want to receive the land as a gift from people.
Prince of God (nesi elohim): The Hittites' honorific title for Abraham, showing his high standing among the peoples of Canaan.

Historischer Kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Genesis 23

People

Sarah is the only woman in the Old Testament whose age at death is explicitly stated—127 years (v. 1). This underscores her unique significance as the matriarch of Israel. The text uses an unusual phrasing where the age is expressed in three parts ("one hundred years and twenty years and seven years"), which rabbinic tradition has interpreted to mean that each stage of life had its own beauty and innocence.

Ephron son of Zohar was a Hittite and landowner in the Hebron area. His name is likely derived from the word for "dust" or "young deer/fawn" (עָפָר/עֹפֶר). He acts as a typical Near Eastern negotiator who offers generously but expects full payment. The Hittites (בְּנֵי־חֵת) refer to the Hittites living in Canaan, a population group distinct from the great Hittite Empire in Anatolia.

Places

Kiriath-arba/Hebron is located about 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem in the Judean highlands, approximately 930 meters above sea level. The name "Kiriath-arba" means "City of Arba" or "City of Four." Hebron is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the site holds great significance as the burial place of the patriarchs.

The Cave of Machpelah (מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה, v. 9) – The name "Machpelah" is derived from the root כפל meaning "double", possibly because the cave had two chambers or was located at a "doubling" in the terrain. Today, the Ibrahimi Mosque/Patriarchs' Tomb stands over the traditional site.

Events and Customs

The Negotiation Ritual described follows a well-known pattern from the ancient Near East. Ephron appears to offer the land for free, but this was a polite gesture that both parties understood was not meant literally. Abraham insisted on paying, which secured him undisputed ownership rights. This type of negotiation with ritual politeness is well documented in Mesopotamian and Hittite texts.

City Gate Negotiations (בָּאֵי שַׁעַר־עִירוֹ, "all who came to the city gate", v. 10, 18) reflect that the city gate was the official place for legal transactions and witnessing in ancient cities. Elderly men and leaders gathered there to judge cases and witness contracts. That the sale took place "in the presence of" these witnesses gave it legal validity.

Key Terms

Ger ve-toshav (גֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב) – "foreigner and resident alien" – describes Abraham's legal status (v. 4). He was a resident without full citizenship rights and could not own land under normal law. This forced him to negotiate the purchase through the goodwill of the local population.

Nesi elohim (נְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים) – "prince of God" or "mighty prince" – was the title the Hittites used for Abraham (v. 6). The expression shows the respect and honor Abraham had gained in the local community, which opened the door for him to negotiate a land purchase.

Kesef over la-socher (כֶּסֶף עֹבֵר לַסֹּחֵר) – "current currency among merchants" (v. 16) – indicates silver that was weighed and approved for trade. Coins did not yet exist; value was determined by weight. The standard ensured that the payment was of accepted quality and weight.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Hittite legal texts from Hattusa (modern Boğazkale in Turkey), dated to approximately 1650–1180 BCE, show that purchasing an entire plot of land involved feudal obligations (such as tax liability) to the previous owner or the state. This may explain why Ephron insisted on selling the whole field, not just the cave – he simultaneously transferred any obligations to Abraham.

The price of 400 shekels of silver was significant. The Code of Hammurabi and other sources from the second millennium BCE show that land prices varied enormously depending on quality and location. Some scholars believe Ephron exploited Abraham's vulnerable situation, while others view the price as reasonable for a first-class burial site near the city.

Personen5

Zohar1 Ephron4 Heth1 Sarah3 Abraham10

Alle personen →

Schlüsselwörter7

Sara — Wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac, she dies in this chapter and her death is described.
Abraham — The patriarch who makes a covenant with God and is the father of Isaac. He wishes to buy a burial place for Sara.
Ephron — A Hittite who owns land at Machpelah, where Abraham wants to bury Sara.
Machpelah — A piece of land with a cave near Mamre, which Abraham buys from Ephron to bury Sara.
Cave — The place where Abraham buries Sara, and later he himself and his descendants are buried here.
Silver — The currency that Abraham uses to buy the burial site from Ephron.
Negotiate — The process in which Abraham and Ephron discuss the price of the land before agreeing on a sum.