1 And Sarah was a hundred and twenty-seven years old: [these were] the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you; give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 Hear us, my lord; thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead: none of us will withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. 7 And Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the children of Heth. 8 And he communed with them, saying, If it is your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which [is] in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me, for a possession of a burying-place among you. 10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, of all that entered the gates of his city, saying, 11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I to thee, and the cave that [is] in it, I give it to thee; in the presence of the sons of my people I give it to thee: bury thy dead. 12 And Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land. 13 And he spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou [wilt give it], I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field: take [it] of me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 My lord, hearken to me: the land [is worth] four hundred shekels of silver; what [is] that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. 16 And Abraham hearkened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant. 17 And the field of Ephron, which [was] in Machpelah, which [was] before Mamre, the field and the cave which [was] in it, and all the trees that [were] in the field, that [were] in all the borders round about, were made sure 18 To Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that entered the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre: the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that [is] in it were made sure to Abraham for a possession of a burying-place, by the sons of Heth.
Genesis · Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
Genesis 23 Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abraham
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
Ephron
A Hittite at Hebron, son of Zohar, who sold Abraham the field and cave of Machpelah for four hundred shekels of silver, where Abraham buried Sarah and was himself buried.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 23:8–10; Genesis 23:16; Genesis 25:9
Zohar
A Hittite named only as the father of Ephron, from whom Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 23:8; Genesis 25:9
Places
Hebron
One of the region's oldest cities, holding the patriarchs' burial cave (Machpelah). It was David's first royal capital, over Judah.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 23:19; Genesis 13:18; 2 Samuel 5:3
Cross references (17)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Genesis 23:19; Genesis 13:18; 1 Chronicles 6:57; Judges 1:10; Genesis 27:41
- 3 Genesis 10:15; Genesis 23:7; Genesis 23:5; Genesis 27:46; 2 Samuel 23:39
- 4 Hebrews 11:9; 1 Chronicles 29:15; Genesis 17:8; Psalm 119:19; Psalm 39:12
- 6 Genesis 24:35; Genesis 14:14; Genesis 44:5; Genesis 13:2; Genesis 32:4–5
- 7 Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:17–18; Genesis 19:1; Genesis 18:2; Proverbs 18:24
- 8 1 Kings 2:17; Hebrews 7:26; Genesis 25:9; 1 John 2:1–2; Luke 7:3–4
- 9 Romans 12:17; Romans 13:8
- 10 Genesis 34:20; Genesis 34:24; Genesis 23:18; Matthew 9:1; Ruth 4:1–4
- 11 Luke 19:24; Isaiah 32:8; 2 Samuel 24:20–24; Genesis 23:6; Jeremiah 32:7–12
- 12 Genesis 19:1; Genesis 18:2; Genesis 23:7
- 13 Romans 13:8; Genesis 14:22–23; 2 Samuel 24:24; Acts 20:35; Hebrews 13:5
- 15 Ezekiel 45:12; Exodus 30:13; Exodus 30:15
- 16 Jeremiah 32:9; Zechariah 11:12; Exodus 30:13; Romans 13:8; Matthew 7:12
- 17 Genesis 50:13; Genesis 25:9; Genesis 23:20; Acts 7:16; Genesis 49:29–32
- 18 Jeremiah 32:12; Genesis 34:20; Ruth 4:1
- 19 Genesis 49:29–32; Genesis 25:9–10; Genesis 50:25; Genesis 50:13; Genesis 35:27–29
- 20 Jeremiah 32:10–14; Ruth 4:7–10; 2 Kings 21:18; Genesis 50:5; Genesis 25:9
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences